


Second Chance

by TheWildOmega



Category: One Piece
Genre: Age Regression/De-Aging, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Suicide
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-23
Updated: 2021-02-09
Packaged: 2021-03-09 02:08:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 20
Words: 100,658
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27156401
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheWildOmega/pseuds/TheWildOmega
Summary: He had died, that much he was certain of but what he didn't understand was who this strange woman was and why was she looking at him like this. He was pretty sure he had never seen her before.Why, why did it have to be you to come across some Stanger when you went for your nightly swim? Was he dead? Please don't be dead. Walking over to him you looked down at the large male, just who the hell was this guy?
Relationships: Shirohige | Whitebeard | Edward Newgate & Whitebeard Pirates, Shirohige | Whitebeard | Edward Newgate/Reader, Whitebeard Pirates & Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 39
Kudos: 72





	1. Chapter 1

"THE ONE PIECE IS REAL!" he yelled. Then everything went black. It felt like he was floating, like he was on a cloud. Trying to open his eyes he expected to see a light like everyone always talked about but there was none. There was only darkness. Closing his eyes again he breathed deeply. He was still in pain, although no where near as much. He was tired, exhausted, he just wanted to sleep. Ace, my sons, forgive me.

.......................

Coming up for air you took a quick breath before your head went back under water. Kicking your legs and moving your arms you rounded the buoy and started back towards shore. The water was chilly, autumn settling in but you would keep swimming until the lake froze over. Another breath, you peeked to the shore to see the small lantern sitting on the land, marking your spot. Pushing yourself on you finished your nightly swim as your feet made contact with the sand below. Standing up you brushed back your hair, panting and rubbing your face as you walked towards the shore to grab your things. Yawning you were rubbing your eyes when your foot hit something. Furrowing your brows you expected it to be a piece of driftwood that had floated up and moved your hands but what you saw made a small scream leave your throat. It was a person! A man! he was laying right beside your things. You were positive he had not been here when you started your swim. Hurrying around him to grab your lantern you shinned it by his face. "Oh God please don't be dead." you said to the air. Swallowing hard you looked over the stranger, he was large, had to be close to seven or more feet tall and he was ripped. He was only wearing a pair of tan pants with some kind of red sash around his waist. He had long blond hair that was wet and sticking to some parts of his long face. Glancing down his wide shoulders and chest you saw a few cuts and bruises but nothing that looked serious. Licking your lips you reached out your hand and placed it on his shoulder, giving him a small shake. "Hey, hey are you alright? Hello?" 

Feeling something touch him he groaned and fluttered his eyes open, having to fight the urge to let them close back instantly. Looking up he saw stars, lots of stars but then a bright light made him close his eyes again, another groan leaving his throat. Was he wet? Why was he wet?

"I'm sorry. Can you tell me your name? Are you hurt, I can get you some help." you said, moving the lantern away from his eyes some. 

A woman? Opening his eyes again he looked to the woman that was standing above him, a concerned look on her face. He was fairly sure he had never seen her before but there was something familiar about her. Blinking he felt his brow twitch at his sore body, he thought there wasn't supposed to be pain when you died. Oh yea, she had asked him his name. "Edward." he managed to mumble out before his eyes closed again. 

"Okay Edward, I'm going to get you some help okay." you told him but he seemed to be back asleep. Grabbing your phone you called for an ambulance, being told it would take a few minutes you went back over to the man and looked again at his face, he was actually pretty handsome now that you looked at him, strong jaw and chin. You couldn't put your finger on it but it felt like you had seen him before, like he was this old friend. Flashing lights snapped you out of your thoughts and you stood up to wave them over. 

Standing back and watching as Sam and Beth loaded him up into the ambulance you knit your brows and heard as the sheriff called your name. Shaking your head you looked back to the older man "I'm sorry Garth what did you say?"

"I asked if you saw him walking down the shore before you started your swim." 

Shaking your head you looked him in the eyes, "No, there was no one here when I came out, I sat my stuff down and then went for my swim. When I came back to shore to grab my things he was just laying there, right beside my things."

Humming he rubbed his chin, "Well I'll get my men to look for any footprints and go over any missing persons reports. Did he speak to you?" he asked the woman again. 

"No not really, he was pretty out of it, he did say his name was Edward though." you told him. 

"Okay well I'll talk with him once he wakes up. They are going to keep him overnight in the hospital." he told her and saw her nod. "You know, I told you it won't safe for you to be coming out here so late at night all by yourself." he started and saw her roll her eyes. "I'm serious Y/n. What if that man had tried to attack you, little thing like you..."

"But he didn't and I'm fine. Besides if I wouldn't have been out here you may have been called in to get him in a body bag." you told him. 

"Yeah well I don't even know why you keep coming out to swim, I know damn well the water is cold, you're gonna end up with pneumonia you keep on." he lectured her and heard her sigh. Shaking his head he waved his hand, "I don't know why I even try. Go home, get some sleep, I know you have to work tomorrow. If I have anymore questions I'll call you." 

Nodding you thanked him for coming out before moving towards the path that led to your home. Hanging your towel over the porch railing you moved to the door and went inside before locking it. Slipping off your shoes you went to your bathroom to take a shower before feeding Nook and going to bed. However sleep didn't seem to come to you, your mind filled with questions about the mystery man that seemed to wash up out of no where. You were positive you had never met him but something was telling you that that wouldn't be the last you saw of Edward.

.............................

Coming to again he felt a little better this time, his mind clearer than it had been. Opening his eyes he looked above him to see a white ceiling. Turning his head to the sides he looked around the room and noticed the walls were white as well, and the bed he was in. Seeing the IV and machines he growled, he just couldn't escape those damn things could he? Going to lift his hands he felt them stop short, something holding onto his wrists. Snapping his eyes down he saw straps of sorts holding him to the bed. Gritting his teeth he began yanking on the things, he would not be tied down. In the midst of his struggling he heard a door open and when he looked up he saw two women dressed in blue come rushing over to him. 

"Whoa calm down, it's okay..." she tried saying but he cut her off.

"I suggest you unbind me now young lady." he growled. When she didn't move to take the straps off he pulled hard, filling the room with a ripping sound. 

"Sir, sir you need to relax. No one is going to hurt you we ahhh!" 

Getting one arm free he pulled on the other and broke that strap as well before moving to stand. Seeing the two women close to his height he furrowed his brows but brushed it off for now. Moving to pull out the line going into his arm he saw one of the women rush out of the room. Looking down he saw he was wearing some sort of gown that ended at his knees. "My clothes? Where are my clothes?!" he demanded, looking to the remaining woman. Hearing the sound of running he turned around and saw the woman from before rushing in along with a man dressed in the same blue clothes. When he noticed the man holding a syringe he grit his teeth and narrowed his eyes. "I hope you brought more back up than that."

..............................

"Okay I will be back later, please try and refrain from destroying the house." you spoke to the small cub currently fighting with the plushy in the cage made on your living room floor. Grabbing your coffee, keys and wallet you moved to put on your boots when your phone started ringing. Sighing you pulled it out of your back pocket, answering it and holding it to your ear with your shoulder while you started lacing on of your boots. "Hello." Listening to the sheriff talk you stiffened and then knit your brows. "What?" you asked, thinking you had misheard him. "What do you mean he is asking for me?" you said a little more rough than you had meant to. Groaning you let out a long sigh, "Fine...I said fine! I'll be there in a few minutes." hanging up you finished tying your boots before grabbing your things and heading out the door, grumbling as you made your way down to your truck. "Asking for me?! He doesn't even know me?!" Slamming the door shut you started the engine and took a sip of your hot coffee. Backing out of your drive way you held the phone to your ear again, "Hey Heather. Look I'm going to be late coming into work today. I have to go to the hospital, no I'm not sick just ah.... well I have to meet the sheriff there." you told her. "Okay well I will be there as soon as I can. Thank you." 

Walking out of the elevator you saw the sheriff standing down the hall some with his arms crossed over his chest, staring into one of the rooms. Moving over beside him you peeked inside to see the man from last night in there. He was strapped down to the bed, legs, wrists, ankles. Pretty much everywhere they could find a place. Raising your brows you looked to the older male. "Why is he..."

"He woke up earlier this morning and went crazy, broke through the straps on his wrists. They got him sedated for a little bit but the drugs don't seem to work that long on him." he told her. 

Continuing to look at him you saw him just laying there, his eyes open as he seemed to stare at the ceiling. "Did you find out anything about him?" 

"Nope. He won't talk to anyone, there were no drugs or alcohol in his system and other than the small scraps and bruises on him the doctors say he is in perfect health. Only thing he has made clear is that he wants to see the pretty woman who found him." 

Snapping your eyes to him you stiffened up. "Why me?" you asked. 

Noticing the man now looking towards them or rather her, he grinned a little, "I don't know. Wouldn't be the first time some wild thing took a liking to you."

Following his eyes you saw the man in the room, Edward looking at you. Taking a deep breath you turned away from Garth and grabbed the handle, opening the door and stepping inside, closing it behind you. Walking towards the chair you stood beside it and raised your brows at him, "You've been giving the hospital staff a hard time I hear." you started off with.

Humming he looked over the woman, she looked to be in her early twenties if he guessed right. Long h/c hair that hung down her back and bright e/c eyes. She wore tight fitting dark jeans, a long sleeved button up shirt with a strange pattern on it made of blue and black. Her arms were crossed over her chest as she looked to him and he couldn't help but grin a little at how pretty he thought she was. "I told you my name lass, but I don't remember you telling me yours."

Grinning you gave him your name. 

"Y/n. That's a pretty name, suits you." 

"So Edward, want to tell me how you ended up on the shore of the lake last night?" you asked, choosing to ignore his complement. 

"I would if I knew." 

"You don't remember how you got there?" you asked and saw him shake his head slightly. "Alright well can you at least tell me where you are from so we can help you get home." 

"Sphinx is the island I am from." he told her. 

Tilting your head some you looked to him, "I've never heard of it. Around where is that located?" 

"It's in the New World." he informed her but saw her look even more confused. "Perhaps you could tell me where we are now?" 

"We are in Madison, Montana." you told him and now it was his turn to look confused. "In the Untied States... America..."

"I have sailed all over the world lass and I have never heard of any of those places you just listed." he said with knitted brows. 

Humming you bit your lip, this man was crazy, no doubt. "You are a sailor?" you asked. 

"Captain, actually." he corrected. 

"Captain Edward?' you asked. 

"Newgate. My name is Edward Newgate and I'm a pirate." 

You were sure your brows were in your hairline now. "A pirate? You're a pirate?" 

"Sure am lass. I'm better known as Whitebeard." 

"Whitebeard? You don't have a beard." you told him and saw him frown. "Look the only pirate I know of is Blackbeard..."

"Blackbeard? That traitorous scum." 

"So now you are going to tell me that you know him too?" you asked. 

"Know him, I was his Captain. I considered him a son at one time." he growled. 

"Well forgive me if I have a hard time believing that, you know with him being killed like three hundred years ago." you said, moving your feet and adjusting your arms. 

"Come again." he said, narrowing his eyes. 

"Edward Teach, better known as Blackbeard. He was a pirate that was executed in 1718. He stayed around North Carolina mostly, he was killed there. Legend has it he was beheaded and his headless body swam around the ship nine times before sinking into the sound. " you told him with a shrug. Seeing him just sitting there you sighed. "Look I don't know who you are, I was swimming last night and when I walked up on shore you were laying there. You weren't there when I went out and I didn't see anyone else at the lake last night either so I don't know how you got there. Unless you want to end up in some place for crazy people I wouldn't go telling people you were a pirate." You told him. Letting out a sigh you started walking towards the door. "It was nice meeting you Edward. I have to go to work now."

"Wait." he spoke when he saw the woman walking away. "Have you and I ever met before?" he asked. 

" I don't think so, I'm pretty sure I'd remember someone like you." you told him, giving him a small smile. 

"Y/n." he said, the name rolling off of his tongue so easily. Seeing her look back at him he felt this strange pulling in his chest. "I know, I know you.." he said, looking into her eyes, "And you...know me... don't you." 

Swallowing hard you continued staring into his yellow looking eyes, such an odd looking color, one that you could have swore you had seen before, in your dreams. Furrowing your brows you turned to the door and walked out of it, hearing him say your name once more, the sound striking a cord in your chest. 

Watching through the glass as she spoke to the man in the uniform outside he clenched his teeth when the man shot him a dirty look. They looked to be arguing, the little woman moving her hand and shaking her finger in front of the man's face. When the man rubbed his face and threw his hand through the air he saw Y/n smirk before she was walking back into his room and over to his bed. 

"Here is the deal. I am going to help get you out of here and then you are on your own. I don't know you, I have never met you but I also don't want them to send you away and lock you up so you promise to behave and not go all crazy again?" you asked. Seeing him nod you smiled and reached to undo the strap on his wrist. "Alright then, get dressed, your clothes are in that cabinet, there is a bathroom right through that door." you said before walking out of the room to give him privacy. 

Undoing the rest of the straps those people had put him in he moved over to the cabinet and saw his clothes in a see through bag along with his boots. Grabbing them he went into the bathroom Y/n had pointed out and flipped on the light. Sitting down the bag onto he counter he closed the door and lifted his eyes to the mirror. "AHH!" 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whitebeard deserves love too. Let's see how this goes. Comments greatly appreciated.


	2. Chapter 2

Following the strangely familiar woman out of the hospital he again glanced down at her. She was close to his height, well everyone here seemed to be, but she was still small. "How tall are you lass?" he asked, feeling like something was different.

Raising your brow at the odd question you kept your eyes forward as you answered. 

That couldn't be right. If she was that tall and he was only about two or so feet taller than that would mean he had shrunk. Yep now he was sure he was not in his own world anymore. Firstly he had looked in the mirror to see he was young again, much younger. He didn't even have his iconic mustache yet. If he was to guess he looked like he was maybe in his late twenties, early thirties. His scars were no longer present either and he had his long blond locks once again. Maybe he had died and this was some sort of strange afterlife. It didn't answer his questions about this woman who he knew he had never met but somehow knew her. Y/n. Y/n. Her name sounded so heavenly, he didn't understand it. 

Getting out front you walked him to your truck and then turned on heel to look up at him. "Okay so where would you like to go? I can drop you off at the bus station, take you into town...." 

Humming he looked all around, seeing many strange looking things of different color. "What are these things?" he asked. 

Glancing to the different cars, trucks and SUVs you looked back to him and saw him still looking around, "They are vehicles, it's how people get around... They don't have these where you are from?" you asked. 

"No." he answered. 

Tapping your foot you bit your lip. "Okay get in, you can tell me where you want to go on the way." you told him, opening the passenger door for him. Seeing him hesitant y9ou gave a wave of your hand. "Come on, it isn't going to bite you." you said with a roll of your eyes. 

Huffing he moved inside the 'vehicle', sitting on the seat and watching her close the door before rounding it to get into the other side. Seeing a wheel he rose a brow and watched as she got in and pulled a strap across her.

Looking to him you rose a brow, "Now you." you said, pointing to the belt. Watching him hesitantly pull the strap over you took charge and buckled it for him when he looked like he was just going to hold it in place.

"What are these for?"

"So if we get in a wreak you don't go flying out the window. Also I don't want to pay a ticket." Starting the truck you saw him looking everything over curiously, when you started moving he tensed the smallest amount but said nothing. Driving down the road you pulled into a fast food joint when you figured he probably hadn't eaten yet. "Chicken or beef?" you asked. 

"Ahh beef." he said with knitted brows. Watching her tell the speaking box something before pulling around he next saw her pull out a card thing and hand it to the woman inside the window. 

Paying for the food you handed him the bag and cup of water, telling the woman thank you before driving away. When he only sat there you grinned, "Eat." 

Looking into the bag he saw a few things and pulled them out. Unwrapping one of the things he saw it was a sandwich of sorts. It smelled good. Looked pretty good too. Come to think of it he wasn't sure when he had ate last. Biting into the food he gave a small hum and continued eating. Seeing another in the bag he held it out for her but she only shook her head. 

"I'm good. You eat." you said, shaking your head. 

Continuing to eat the food she had bought him he sipped at the water and swallowed it down before speaking. "Where is this lake you found me at?" 

Pointing out your window you pulled up to the bar and looked to him. "Right through those trees."

"Does it have a name?" he asked. 

"Earthquake lake." 

Well that was ironic. He didn't think he had his powers anymore though, he couldn't feel them. Seeing her get out of the truck he followed and held his bag and cup in one hand. 

"Well Edward it was nice meeting you, strange as it was." you grinned. Holding out your hand you saw him look at it for a moment before he moved his huge hand to take your smaller one. "I hope you find your way home again." 

Looking down at their hands he couldn't help the grin that came to his face at how soft her skin felt. Raising his eyes to hers again he rose his chin a bit, "I have a feeling my dear that you and I will meet again." 

Raising your brows you chuckled softly and removed your hands from his. He was an odd one that was for sure. "Don't go washing up on anymore shores huh." you said as you walked towards the employees entrance to the bar. 

Watching her walk away he grinned. As the door she went inside closed he felt a strange pulling sensation in his chest but quickly noticed the "Employees only" sign on the door and sighed. Besides he was sure of his previous words, they would meet again. Crossing his arms over his bare chest he looked around at the unknown world he was now stranded in and hummed, well might as well go have a look around. 

...................................

Filling another round of drinks for the crowd at the back table you sighed, it had been a long day and you were ready to be at home in your bed. Hearing your stomach give a rumble you grunted, okay eat and then sleep. Truthfully you had felt off since you and Edward had went your separate ways earlier this afternoon. His words about seeing you again soon kept ringing in your head and it made you feel anxious. Sighing you placed all the mugs on the tray before carrying them over to the rowdy crowd. "Okay last drinks of the night, we're closing soon." you told them. Moving around to wipe the rest of the tables and booths off you made one more round of the bar, taking up empty glasses and collecting bills. Passing by one of the tables you felt someone grab your wrist and grit your teeth, "Unless you want to loose that hand I suggest you let me go." you told the man who had been annoying you all night with his group of friends. 

"Oh come on darlin' I just want ta talk to ya." he chuckled. 

Twisting your arm out of his grip you looked at him and sighed, "Sorry but we are closing soon so I would worry less about talking to me and more bout finishing up that drink you got." you told him before walking away, hearing his friends laughing at your again rejection. 

After closing up the bar for the night you cleaned up and turned off the lights before making your way out the back door. Yawning you pulled your keys out of your pocket on the way to your truck but when something wrapped around your waist you tensed and let out a small gasp. Turning around so you could see your attacker you were instantly shoved against the side of your truck, dropping your keys to the gravel. "What the hell. Let me go!" you growled. 

"Now doll don't be like that." the man from the bar said in a raspy voice, continuing to hold the woman tightly.

"I said let me go!" you yelled, attempting to shove him off of you. He was drunk, that was obvious by the smell of him but he was also leaning his full weight on you. 

"You don't want me ta do that baby, do ya? Ya know I'm new in town an' at first when I saw this place I thought it wasaaa dump but I have ta say you sure are a sight fer' sore eyes. Whatta ya say me an' you go back ta my place an' have some fun?" he chuckled. 

Gritting your teeth you stomped your boot down onto his foot. "Not a chance in hell." When he flinched it gave you the opportunity to shove him off of you and quickly reach down for your keys. Turning to unlock your truck you were again pinned to the vehicle but this time you could tell he was angry, his grip on the back of your neck and hip painful. 

"Now girl I think you are in need of an attitude readjustment." he growled, fisting his hand in her hair. 

Crying out when he tugged at your hair you whimpered, trying to fight him off the best you could. You would scream but what good what it do, this was a small town and the bar was a little ways off from any homes, all the other business having closed hours ago. 

"How bout' you give me a kiss as an apology..." he said with a grin, forcing her neck to arch back and attempting to push his lips to hers. 

"Go fuck yourself!" you snarled. Kicking and hitting at him proved difficult in the position you were in but you wouldn't just give in. "Ahhh Let me go!" 

"Quit fightin' bit..." 

All of a sudden the man was ripped away from you, his hands no longer holding you. Turning around quickly you saw something that made your eyes go wide.

..................................

He had been walking around the small town all day, taking time to observe this strange new world. There were many things he had never seen before, things he had never imagined possible. He had went to go into some of the stores but was promptly told they all had a 'No shirt, No service' policy. After a while he had walked by a home with clothes hanging on the line and noticed a shirt that looked like he might fit him. It did not, however he was able to leave the blue button up shirt unbuttoned and rip off the sleeves to at least have something on his back. It counted as a shirt and he was soon able to walk around in the stores and shops. He was even able to go have a look at the lake Y/n had apparently found him washed up on. It was a large lake but he found no clue as to why he had been sent here. For a time he had simply sat on the shore and thought about everything, thought about the war. Tears fell from his eyes as he thought about Ace, his son and how he had passed. He had failed in saving him and he could only hope that everyone else made it out alive. That none of his other children had perished as well, or that strawhat boy, Luffy. Ace had given his life to save that of his little brother's and he prayed that it had not all been in vain.

After dark he wondered around town a bit more, noticing this and that before making his way back to the place Y/n worked at. All the lights were off now and he figured they must have closed for the night, only one car (something he had heard people saying earlier) left in the front of the place. Frowning at thinking he had missed her he turned to go find somewhere to sleep tonight when he heard what sounded like a woman in distress. Walking towards the building he started to go around back, thumping and grunting hitting his ears now. Something felt off, that strange pressure in his chest that he sometimes got becoming more intense. Looking around the side of the building as he walked around it, he looked to the dimly lit area and saw Y/n's vehicle sitting there where she had left it earlier today. When he heard the familiar female voice scream for someone to let her go he hurried over and saw a man had her pinned up to the side of the vehicle. In an instant he had grabbed the man and yanked him off of her. Moving his fist towards the man's stomach he felt his devil fruit powers activate a little and sent the man flying backwards into the building. Raising his brows in surprise he lifted his hand up to look at it and huffed with a grin, "Well I guess I do still have them... not as much though it would seem..." 

"What the hell was that?" you asked in higher pitched voice. No. No you were seeing things, yep that was it, you were tired and so you had just imagined the glowing blue light coming from the strange man's hands that sent your attacker flying. Snapping your eyes to the man laying on the ground by the bar for a moment you heard him groaning so at least he wasn't dead. 

Seeing the woman looking at him with wide eyes he grinned and stood back straight. "Oh that was just my devil fruit powers." he said like it was nothing. 

"Wha... devil... fruit..pow.... No." rubbing your eyes you shook your head. "Nope not real. Time for bed." you said as you turned to quickly unlock your truck with shaking hands. 

Tilting his head he walked towards her. "I can assure you lass they are real." 

"Well I have never gotten weird powers from eating any bananas or apples." you said. 

Laughing he watched her unlock her vehicle. "No darling these fruits are different, special fruits that grow in my world..."

"Your world?" you asked, looking up at him, feeling even more confused.

Humming he continued grinning at her. 

"You are crazy." you said with a nod and a smile before opening the door.

"Probably a little. " he chuckled. "But I'm not lying to you Y/n, if that's what you think." he told her, leaning against her door. Feeling it start to sprinkle he dipped his head a little bit. 

Getting inside the truck you looked to see him leaning against the door and felt your heart beating like a hammer against your ribs. "So you expect me to believe that you are from some different world where everyone has these weird powers that they get from eating fruit?"

"Not everyone, you have to find the fruit and there aren't many of them, all of them are different though." he said, feeling the rain grow stronger. "Do you think we could talk about this somewhere else lass?"

Breathing heavily you looked at him. "You think I am just going to take some stranger back to my house? What if you are some serial killer or something?" 

Smiling he looked into her eyes, "I would never cause any harm to you darling and I think you know that, don't you? Just like you know that I am telling you the truth about everything else." 

Biting your lip you held his stare for a few moments. "I take you home, you answer all of my questions?"

"You have my word." he grinned. 

Sighing you hit the unlock button and tilted your head towards the passenger side door. Closing your door as he walked away you closed your eyes, "If he does kill me, let it be quick." you grumbled. 

..........................

Pulling into your driveway you turned off the truck and opened your door, hearing him follow. Walking up the steps you pushed your key into the lock and opened the front door. You had already thought of an escape plan if he did in fact try to murder you even though you felt oddly safe around him. 

Walking up the steps to her home he saw it was a small cabin of sorts, a swing on the porch. Looking around the land he saw it surrounded by trees, secluded and peaceful. Seeing a light come on he looked to see her standing in the doorway, waiting for him to enter. Grinning he walked inside and looked around. It was pretty bare, minimal amount of furniture. There was a large comfy looking leather couch in the center of the room facing a flat black thing. A bookcase filled with books sat on one wall and then he noticed a small dining table that would sit two, followed by a kitchen. There was a lot of wood, a fireplace was in the corner made of stones with a mantle covered in books as well. She was a reader that was for sure. 

"Well this is it." you sighed, tossing your keys on the table by the entryway and moving to take off your boots. 

Seeing her removing her shoes he took the hint to do the same.

Walking towards the kitchen you covered a yawn. "Do you want some tea or coffee or..." Snapping your eyes to the pin in your living room you saw it empty and hurried over to the side door that had a doggy door cut into it to see if he was outside. When you saw the fenced in area outside empty as well you groaned. Damnit... "One second..." you said turning to Edward before going towards the hallway. "NOOK, You better not be eating my shoes again!" you growled. 

Furrowing his brows he watched her make her way down a hall and into the room at the end. As soon as she turned on the light he heard her let out a frustrated groan. 

"Nook, I swear I am going to sell you to a zoo!" you yelled as you walked into your room to see the cub currently laying on the floor chewing up one of your flip flops. As soon as he saw you he took off and you were scrambling to catch him. Watching him hurry under your bed, letting out a small growl as he tried to make his escape. "Oh no you don't." 

Standing where he was he was not expecting a small bear cub to come running out of what he guessed to be her room. Seeing her catch the small animal as it made to run into another room he raised his brows. 

"Gottcha." you grinned. Lifting the large cub up you felt it instantly start pawing and chewing on your chin, letting out little grunts and huffs. 

"You have a bear?" he asked.

"Well kind of. He's not mine per say I'm just helping him heal before he can be transferred to the bear sanctuary next week. His mom was hit by a car a few weeks back and someone saw him laying next to her, he was badly malnourished making me assume he had been by her for days without food, I didn't think he was going to make it honestly. He's perked up though and soon he will go to the bear sanctuary where they will get him ready to be released back into the wild." you told him. 

Grinning he watched her carry the cub back to the pin area in the living room, sitting him down and hearing him instantly start letting out small cries. 

"I know, I'm getting it." you told him. Walking to the fridge you grabbed the berries, nuts and fish that you included in Nook's diet. Turning around you looked to Edward, "So go ahead explain... if you are from this other world, how did you get here?" you asked, placing the dish down for Nook to eat.

Moving to the kitchen he sat in the chair at the table and watched as she started moving around the kitchen. Seeing her start cooking something he took a deep breath. "Well I died..."


	3. Chapter 3

Sitting at the table you held your now cold tea cup in your hands, not moving or making a sound as Edward finished his story. Blinking a few times you opened your mouth a few times, thinking about what to say. 

Seeing her so stiff he swallowed down the last bit of his tea and looked to her. "I know this is all probably a bit much to comprehend lass.... eh ah... do you have any questions?"

Lifting your cup you took a sip of your tea and sighed. "Just want to clarify a few things..." you said and saw him nod. "You died in this war but somehow ended up here?" 

"Yes." 

"You are this Emperor of the sea, which there are...four of?" 

"Yes, well I suppose I was. Since I did die in my world someone else will most likely take that position." he said, rubbing the back of his neck. 

"Okay and lastly you are seventy-two years old." 

"Correct."

Clicking your tongue you nodded slowly, "Well you...aged well, congratulations." you said, standing from the table and moving to start clearing the table. 

He continued sitting in his seat for some time, watching her. She kept her back to him mostly, her eyes never lifting to his as she cleaned up from the small supper she had made them. He supposed it was a bit much to take in, if someone had come to him spouting such a story he would have a hard time believing them as well. Taking a deep breath he stood from the small table and carried his cup over to her. "I didn't mean to overwhelm you lass. Truth is I don't much understand why I was sent here either? I was ready to join my fallen sons in the afterlife."

Sighing you took the cup when he held it out for you and glanced up to his eyes. Such strange colored yellow eyes, never before had you ever seen anyone with his color eyes, well not unless they were wearing contacts. All the same though, you could have sworn you had seen them somewhere before. They were very warm looking, no ill intent hidden in them. The whole time he had been telling you his story you had been searching his eyes for any lie, to your surprise though, there was none. Everything he had told you had been the truth, you could feel it. "So what is it you plan to do now?" you asked, continuing to wash the dishes.

Leaning back against the counter he crossed his arms over his chest. "Haven't quite figured that out yet. I went to that lake today, looked around. Didn't see any signs on how to get back home. What were you doing there last night when you found me?"

"Swimming." you answered simply.

"Swimming? Mighty late to be going swimming lass, cool as well." he said with furrowed brows. When she said nothing he let out a little hum. 

Looking back down you let out the water and stacked the dishes in the drying rack as you thought. Biting your lip you dried your hands and tossed the rag to the counter. "Well how about we figure this out in the morning? I have a spare room you can stay in, bed might be a bit small but it's either that or the couch." you told him, crossing your arms and looking up to him. 

A little shocked he looked down at her with his brows raised. "You are offering me a place to stay?"

"Sure, I mean I am the one that found you so I guess that makes you my problem for the time being right?" you asked with a small grin. When he smirked you raised a brow, "Not unless you prefer to sleep outside?"

Chuckling he smiled, "Thank you darling. I will try to be as little of a problem as possible." 

Smiling you turned towards the living room, "I'll hold you to that." Turning off the lights you showed him to the guest room that was down the hall from your own room. "Here you go, there's a bathroom across the hall, if you want a shower, there are towels under the sink. 

Looking into the room he saw it minimal like the rest of the home, a bed in the center of the room with a small dresser across from it. The bed it's self would be a tight fit but he would make it work, maybe sleep sideways... Looking to his host he smiled. "Thank you y/n." he said with a small bow of his head. 

Flashing him a quick smile you nodded. "No problem." Turning towards your room you yawned. "Goodnight Edward." you said as you closed the door to your room. 

"Goodnight Y/n." he said softy, watching her walk into her own room.

...............................

Walking out of the room the next morning he ran his fingers through his hair. His locks had always been a part of his appearance that he liked, when he had lost them it had been a sharp sign of how his age and health was was taking their tole on him. Now though, with his seemingly second chance he had them back again and found himself slightly enthusiastic to run his fingers through the curly golden strands again. Noticing Y/n's bedroom door open he guessed she was awake already and walked out into the living area to see if she was there. Finding the rest of the small home empty of the woman he knit his brows a little and walked to the kitchen when he saw something sitting on the dining table. Looking down at the plate of breakfast he rose a brow, was this for him? A fork and butter knife set beside the plate along with a napkin and an empty glass. Glancing around again for her he didn't see or hear anything. Even the small pin where that bear cub had been was empty. Walking around the table some he saw a near empty mug of what looked to be coffee on the counter. Touching his knuckle to the side of the cup he felt it still warm, she hadn't been gone long, where ever she was. When something caught his eye out of the window he looked up to see something that made the corners of his lips lift up. There she was, his savior, sitting out in the grass with the bear cub attempting to wrestle her to the ground. Her hair was down again today, hanging wild and free around her. She looked to be wearing a pair of jeans and a black t-shirt. Seeing the small grin on her face as the cub gnawed at her arm he chuckled. Taking a deep breath he moved to eat the breakfast she had made. 

It wasn't long after he had finished his food that she had came back inside, the cub following it's all in all mother closely. Rinsing the plate from where he had washed it he placed it in the drying rack and dried his hands on his pants. "Good morning there lass." he said with a grin. 

Still smiling from where Nook had rammed into the back of your legs you snapped your eyes up when you heard his deep voice. Brushing your hair back out of your face you grinned at him, "Good morning." Closing the door behind Nook you looked back up and saw he had cleaned up after himself. "Was everything alright? I wasn't really sure what you liked to eat..." 

Smiling he looked to the woman, "It was great, thank you kindly. I'm not a picky eater, really anything will do me just fine." he chuckled lightly. 

Grinning softly you moved over to put Nook up, giving him a rub as you stood and took a deep breath. You had been thinking about this all night and then again all morning. "So I thought about it last night and I... well you are welcome to stay here until we can figure out a way to get you back home to your sons." you told him. Glancing around to your small abode you bit the inside of your lip. "It isn't really much to offer but it's somewhere." you told him. You knew your small cabin wasn't some grand place but you just couldn't see putting him out with nothing. Even if you had just met him there was something about him that made you want to help him, need to help him. 

Crossing his arms over his chest he looked down to the small woman, "That is very generous of you y/n but I don't want to impose on you." he spoke and saw her smile a little. 

Shrugging you grinned and flicked your eyebrows, "I'm not really here that much anyways so you won't be imposing. I mostly just come here to eat and sleep.... but it's your decision." 

Feeling a warming in his chest at her kindness he smiled softly. Walking the few steps over to her he looked down at her and saw her e/c eyes raise to look into his. He had gotten pretty good at reading people in his long years, most of the time he could tell a person's character just by looking into their eyes, 'the windows to the soul' they were so commonly called and it was true. This woman, y/n, had one of the purest souls he had ever come across and in a way he couldn't explain, it felt like it was calling to him. "I don't know how to thank you lass, if there is something you need or something I could do to help you, you just let me know."

Smiling softly you looked up at the large man, "Just clean up after yourself and we'll get along fine." you told him and saw him nod. 

"Yes ma'am." he grinned.

"Well then now that that's settled how about we go get you some clothes and whatever else it is that... men... need." you told him with a wave of your hand. 

Looking down at his outfit he furrowed his brows. "What's wrong with these?"

"That shirt, that I don't recall you having when I checked you out of the hospital, doesn't even fit you, your pants have holes in them and blood soaked into them . And, you need more than just one outfit." 

Seeing her standing there with her arms crossed over her chest and a look on her face that said she wasn't going to back down from this he sighed. "Very well. Lead the way." Noting her smile victoriously he couldn't help but grin as he followed her out other truck. Riding to where ever it was that people got clothes from here he looked out the window at the land around them before moving his eyes back to her. "How old are you lass?" 

Driving down the road you kept your eyes on the road, "Twenty-three." 

So he was practically fifty years her senior. If he took a guess based on his looks he would say he was probably back around her own age, maybe twenty-five. He still didn't understand why exactly he was suddenly younger or why he had been sent here but he was content on letting things play out. "What do you do for a living?" 

"I work at the bar." you said as you turned off the interstate. 

Humming he thought back to last night and realized it made more sense on why the man had been so drunk. "Are you from this town?" he questioned, curious about the woman who was helping to take care of him. 

Taking a deep breath you kept a straight face. "No." you answered honestly. Feeling like he was going to ask more questions that you wouldn't want to go into or even think about you licked your lips and decided to quickly change the subject from you to him. "You said you had sons and daughters, how many?" 

"Many." Seeing her raise a brow he tilted his head, "Over a hundred." 

Blinking you opened and closed your mouth, thinking of what to say... "Wow.. um... are you married?"

Laughing he leaned back in the seat, knowing where her mind was going by the light blush on her cheeks. "No, no lass I'm not married, never have been. To answer that question floating through your head, They aren't mine by blood." he said with a small grin. "All my children are just simply those of my crew, people I took in, most of which didn't have anyone else to call family." 

Listening to him explain it all to you you smiled softly as you drove. "That is very kind of you." you told him and heard him hum deeply. 

"What about you darling, where's your fam..."

Quickly pulling into a spot you parked the truck and unbuckled your seatbelt. "We're here." you spoke, cutting him off.

Stopping mid sentence he furrowed his brows, watching her get out of the truck. Not saying anything for now he followed her lead and got out of the vehicle, shutting the door behind him and looking up to a large building. "This is all for clothes?" he asked. 

"Well no, there is a whole bunch of other stuff too. It's a mall." you told him, dropping your keys into your purse. and pulling the bag onto your shoulder. "Ready?' you asked him and saw him nod. 

Walking with her through the mall he saw many people walking around and going into the many different shops and such. Everything caught his attention and y/n was very patient with him, walking slowly and explaining things to him. Although he was much, much shorter here he still seemed to be taller than most and noticed a few people staring at him, something he was rather used to so it didn't bother him. When Y/n had noticed it he had quickly brushed her off. "It doesn't bother me darling. Trust me it's much worse back in my world."

"Why? Were you taller there or were other people shorter?" you asked.

Laughing he looked down to her, "Well a little of both I suppose you could say." Seeing her still a bit confused he grinned and leaned down to talk closer to her, holding out his hand. "Back in my world, I could hold you in the palm of my hand." seeing her look to him in disbelief he smiled and gave her a look telling her he wasn't joking, watching her look between his eyes and his open hand. 

Taking him into a store that sold big and tall clothes you told him to look around and find some things he liked. 

"Mind helping me out there lass?" he asked, rubbing the back of his head and looking across the many racks of clothes. He didn't exactly like the idea of her buying him clothes, didn't want to burden her.

Walking over to a shelf with pants you glanced again to him, trying to guess what size he wore. Finding a pair of black pants and a lighter pair of jeans you held them out for him to hold. Going over to the shirts you looked them over for a moment before pulling out a blue button up and holding it out for him to look over. When he grinned you hung it on one hand while you picked out another long sleeve shirt and then grabbed a few plain black t-shirts before moving on to other items. 

At the end of the shopping trip he had been mortified when he saw the amount she had spent on him. He had never had anyone buy him things like that before. Normally it was him buying things for himself and others. Once they had arrived back at her home he had been surprised when she had helped him take the things inside and then move over to feed nook before she was again moving to leave. Learning she had to work that night he furrowed his brows but said nothing. 

"There is food in the fridge an cabinets, I'm sure you can figure out something to make yourself. Make yourself at home and don't give Nook any more food, no matter how much he wines." you told him, giving your bear cub a look and noticing him fighting with the stuffed animal in the pin. "I won't be back until late tonight but he's good until then. Here is the TV remote, there are tons of channels and stuff to watch it you want and plenty of books." Turning on the TV you showed him how to flip through the channels and stuff before handing it to him. "Just please don't order anything. Other than that, you're good. If you need me, you know where the bar is." 

Nodding along with everything he sighed as she left and then looked down to the bear cub. "Just me and you then." he said and heard the cub let out a growl of sorts before falling over into the blankets.

............................................

She hadn't been exaggerating when she told him that she wasn't here much. A week he had been living here with her and in that time he barely saw her. He had quickly found out that she worked long hours almost everyday. Most mornings he woke to find her already gone, breakfast made and waiting at the table for him. During the day he had a hard time keeping busy, he read some on the book that had caught his attention on her shelf. He would watch some of the TV she had showed him. He played with Nook and went for walks in the woods surrounding her house but overall he was beginning to grow bored. It had been so many years since he had been on his own, since he had decided to start his own crew, his family and now that none of them were here he didn't know what to do. Y/n didn't seem to come home till late at night, most of the time around midnight or so. Even then she didn't exactly come home. Hearing her tuck door shut one night he woke up and sat up in bed, listening to her enter the house. She moved around only a little bit, she was always quiet, before he would hear the back door open and close softly. growing curious one night he decided to follow her. Following the light from her lantern he walked behind her through the forest trail and down to the lake. Standing back in the trees he observed as she placed down the lantern and the towel that he had just noticed wrapped around her. Seeing the woman in nothing but a two piece bathing suit he swallowed hard, trying to convinced himself to look away but failing. He couldn't help from trailing his eyes over her moonlit skin and cursed himself, here he was some old man peeking at this young, attractive woman. Ashamed, he ought to be ashamed of himself but... he wasn't an old man... or at least he wasn't anymore. 

Watching the beautiful woman walk out into the no doubt cold water he furrowed his brows, damn woman was going to freeze. What the hell was she thinking, swimming in this weather. Seeing her walk out waist deep before starting to swim he sighed. He couldn't very well say anything, then she would know he was following her, peeking at her. The thought alone of being caught made him blush a little. When he heard a splash he looked out to see her dive under the water. For a good minute she didn't come back up and he felt his nerves picking up. After another minute had passed he started to get worried, what if something had happened, had something grabbed her, was she drowning and he was just standing there watching? He couldn't swim in his world and he doubt he could in this one but damn if he was just going to let her die. Taking a step towards the water he heard movement and looked out to see her far out on the lake, her head coming up before she was going back under. Staring out wide eyed he blinked. She had held her breath that long? She had swam that far out? Maybe... were mermaids a race here? Or fishmen? She didn't look like either. Continuing to watch her he saw her get out to the middle of the lake and just float there, her eyes looking up at the night's sky. Sighing he felt that strange pulling in his chest again and furrowed his brows. 

Deciding to leave her to her swim he walked back to the house and to his bedroom, closing the door and moving to lay in the bed. Staring up at the ceiling with his arm behind his head he thought about everything yet again. He wondered how his children were doing, how his world was making out since his 'death'. Hearing the back door close and lock softly he turned his head and saw her shadow go by under the door and blinked slowly. Listening to her enter her room, the door closing and then the sound of her shower turning on his mind drifted to the image of her in her bathing suit. Feeling heat pool to his lower abdomen and the twitch in his pants he closed his eyes tight, No, no. While he had never grown tired of seeing pretty women, even in his old age, his health had kept him from acting on those thoughts for the past few years. Now though it seemed his body was ready to get back at it. Still though it felt wrong, she wasn't some random woman, she was helping him, had opened her home to him, he couldn't. Hearing water hitting the floor he closed his eyes and grit his teeth at the knowledge of her being naked on the other side of the wall. As his pants grew incredibly tight he rubbed his face and rolled over, grumbling to himself as he tried to force himself to sleep. 

When he woke up the next morning he was surprised to see her in the kitchen making breakfast, she was always gone when he woke up. "Well aren't you a pleasant surprise this morning lass. Figured you would already be gone for work."

Turning to look at him you gave him a small smile. "Good morning Edward. I actually have the day off today." you told him. 

Moving towards her he saw her cooking bacon and eggs. Grabbing a glass he moved to the fridge to make himself a glass of water and taking the vitamins she had gotten him when he had kind of let it slip how he had been sick before. Since he had gotten here he had cut back on drinking substantially. He wouldn't lie though, he was really really craving some good sake but she had none. Swallowing the vitamin he sighed and then chuckled. 

"What's so funny?' you asked, making his plate. 

"Oh nothing just thinking about my son Marco, he's a medic and if he knew how you had gotten me to take these here vitamins without a fuss he'd probably hug you." he told her, moving to take his seat at the table. 

"I take it you were a stubborn patient?" you asked with a grin as you place the plate of food in front of him, moving to grab his toast. 

"A little." he admitted and heard her giggle. "Thank you darling." he said when she handed him his toast and fork. Watching her move to make her coffee before sitting down in front of him and doing something on her phone he furrowed his brows when he noticed her not eating as well. "Aren't you going to eat as well?"

Shaking your head you typed up the message to the wildlife officer that you were to meet with today. "No, I don't eat breakfast." you told him simply.

Frowning he looked down to his food and then up to her. Everyday he woke up to find she had made him breakfast and he had just assumed that she had eaten before work but know he knew that was not true. All this time she had been making him food. Come to think of it he had only seen her eat a handful of times since he had been her. No wonder the damn woman was small. Standing from his seat he saw her look up to him with furrowed brows but said nothing. Grabbing her a plate from the cabinet he walked back over to his own plate and move one of the two eggs and a few slices of bacon onto the plate before placing it in front of her along with a fork. Sitting back down he saw her looking at him with a brow raised. "Eat." he said, lifting his own fork. 

"Edward I'm fine, I really don't want..."

"I will not just sit here and continue eating your food while you go hungry..." seeing her go to speak he looked at her sternly, "Eat." he said again in the voice he used with his crew, the one meaning he meant business.

Huffing out you cut off a piece of egg and placed it in your mouth, "Happy?" you asked. 

"Once you finish all of that." he told her, pointing his fork to her plate and seeing her shoulders drop. Stubborn woman. After making sure she ate all her food he helped her clean up. "So what are you planning on doing on your day off?"

"Well I actually took off because today is the day I have to take Nook to his new home." you said sadly.

Hearing this he looked to her and saw the bittersweet look on her face. "His new home?" he asked and saw her nod. 

"Yea, he's finally in good enough shape that we are hoping we can introduce him to a foster mom." you explained. "She is a very friendly bear who has raised plenty cubs of her own so the idea is she will take him in and he will be able to have a normal life." 

Humming he tilted his head, "Where is it you have to take him to?" 

Letting out the dirty water you wiped off your hands and turned to him. "Glacier national park. It's more north, a good five hour drive from here."

"That's a long drive to make by yourself darling." he said, watching her move over to put on her boots and purse. 

"It's worth it though, there's no hunting allowed in the park so he will be safe." 

"How about some company then?" he asked and saw her smile. 

"I'd like that." 


	4. Chapter 4

Driving down the road you glanced again to the rear view mirror to see Nook's cage still strapped in the bed of your truck. You had thrown a tarp over it to keep the wind off of him and also help with the noise. Letting out a small sigh you looked back to the road. 

"Have you helped other animals before?" he asked her. They had been driving now for about an hour and spent the time talking about this and that. Well mostly him talking. He had been quick to notice that she wasn't much of a talker or rather she wasn't much for talking about herself. Not in a rude way though, she was never rude in fact she was kind. Quiet and kind. 

Nodding you grinned a bit, "Yes."

"What kinds?"

"Well I've done deer, foxes, a rabbit, dogs, cats. There was an owl and a wolf..."

"A wolf?" he asked, his brows raising a bit. 

Nodding you smiled. "Yep, he was definitely my toughest patient yet. He was about a year and a half when I got him, one of the local hunters found him stuck in one of their traps. He had broken his leg and nearly ripped off all the skin around it trying to get loose. They were going to put him down but I got there first. We tranquilized him so I could get his leg out without hurting him even more. I brought him home and got it all cleaned and bandaged before he woke up. Once he did wake up though..." you said with a huff and then grinned. "I'm pretty sure he wanted to eat me." you told him and heard him laugh. 

"So what happened then?" he asked, enjoying her story and seeing how much it made her smile. 

"Well I kept working with him for the next month. I didn't want to tranquilize him every time I had to clean his leg so I slowly got him to let me see it which didn't work all that well because he bit me when I poured the alcohol on it..."

"He bit you?"

"Yep. Right on my thigh." you told him. "He bit me again the next day when I went to feed him but he learned his lesson real quick." 

"What do you mean by that? What did you do?"

Licking your lips you tilted your head a bit, "I... well I bit him back." 

"You bit a wolf?" he asked with a chuckle.

"Hey he bit me first. The time with his leg I get, he was in pain but the second time I didn't even do anything, I was just bringing him something to eat." you quickly said, defensively and heard him laugh loudly. "Laugh all you want, he didn't bite me no more after that. Actually after that we got along pretty damn good." you said with a smile. 

"So were you able to release him as well?' he asked.

"Yes, I took him to the National park as well. Come to think of it you might get to see him, his pack stays around where we are taking Nook and sometimes when I go up here he comes to pay me a visit." 

"Does this wolf have a name?" he asked. 

"Smoke." you said with a proud smile. 

Grinning at seeing her smile he felt that warming in his chest and sighed. A while later she pulled up to a small place and parked the truck before turning it off.

"Come on we'll go grab a drink. We're about halfway there now." you told him, taking off your seatbelt and getting out of the truck. 

Following her into the store he noticed it was a bit colder here than it was at her home and was glad she had mentioned him bringing the thicker over shirt she had bought him. Standing beside her he looked over the many different drinks with his arms crossed over his chest. "There are so many different options." 

Giggling you nodded. Reaching forward to grab your own you saw him look to what you had and raised it for him to see. "It's a green tea. It's got ginseng in it and honey. They are really good and actually cheap." When he moved to grab one you quickly spoke up. "You don't have to get this, get whatever you want." 

"I'm going to take your word on it darling." he told her with a smile. 

Returning his smile you nodded and turned to the other isles "Do you want a snack?" 

"More choices. Any recommendations?" he grinned down at her.

Humming you looked over the snacks and then up to him. "Depends if you want something sweet or salty... or both." 

Looking down into her eyes he again felt that warmth in his chest. He enjoyed how small she was next to him but not as small as she would have been if he was his normal height. Standing beside him she came up to about his mid chest. He was still much wider than her, much larger but in a good way. 

Seeing him just looking at you and then realizing you were just looking back you blinked and reached forward to grab a bag of chips. "Here how about these and some jerky?" you asked. 

Snapping out of his thoughts he looked to the bag she had been holding out for him to take and nodded. "Sounds good lass." 

Once they were back in the truck he munched on the chips which were actually really good, the drink as well. 

"So what does this home island of yours look like?" you asked, wanting something to talk about. 

"Sphinx? Well it's a small island, it's better off than it used to be, when I was a boy it was a rough place. Now it's a peaceful place.. or at least it was... I would hope by boys would keep an eye on it for me." he said, mumbling the last part to himself. "Anyway it has mountains and hills with bright green grass, flowering shrubs and evergreen trees...."

Listening to him describe the island you couldn't help but smile softly at how much he seemed to care about his home. When you started asking about his crew, the people he considered his sons and daughters you smiled even brighter at the genuine love in his voice, in his smile. You learned that Marco was his first and how then after more and more joined him. When he spoke of his sons, Thatch and Ace you saw his smile falter and his eyes turn sad. He told you about how they had been killed. Thatch being killed by this Blackbeard fellow over the devil fruit he wanted. Then there was Ace who he told you was the true son of his long rival Gol D. Rogers. He told you how he was meant to be killed for simply being the son of the king of the pirates. 

"A child should never be punished for their parents wrongdoings." he said deeply. 

Hearing the pain in his voice you licked your lips. "I'm sorry for your losses Edward." you said softly. Seeing his eyes meet yours you gave a sad grin. "Thatch and Ace sound like they were amazing people, all of your children do. Also sounds like you raised them all to be great individuals and to do what they deemed to be the right thing. Ace may have died but he died saving his little brother, that's a very selfless and courageous thing to do. Something that he and the rest of your family learned from their father no doubt." 

Blinking he looked into her kind e/c eyes and sighed softly, feeling a sort of peace come over him. "Thank you y/n." Seeing her smile he looked around and noticed that they had stopped. Looking around at the landscape he saw tall snow covered mountains and a large lake, all of which were very beautiful. "This is it?" he asked and saw her nod. Damn, seems like every time he went to ask her about her own life something came up.

"Hey y/n."

Hearing the male voice he looked out the window to see a man coming over to the vehicle and noticed y/n getting out. 

...................................

Standing back he watched the scene in front of him with a small smile. Y/n seemed to have no fear, or at least none that dealt with animals. After arriving at the park Tyler, the you, well he guessed he was older than him now, the park ranger had welcomed them. Y/n had introduced them to one another, telling this Tyler that he was her friend which put a smile on his face. Helping her get Nook out of the cage they had loaded into the truck at her home he saw y/n let him out making he cub instantly run to her legs. It hadn't been hard for him to notice the sad grin on her face as she looked down at the cub. Although she kept saying how she was happy he was going to be released back into the wild, to live a life of freedom he could tell she was going to miss him. 

_Following Y/n and Tyler through the park they got to a boat and saw Tyler step down into it, y/n following him and calling for Nook to as well. When the cub looked hesitant to follow he chuckled and lifted him up before stepping into the boat and handing Nook over to y/n who had sat down on the back bench. Taking a seat next to her he watched as the cub went about playing with her and then him. Grinning he allowed him to gnaw on his hand and arm, listening to his little growls and grunts._

_When Tyler started the boat you felt Nook tensed and noticed Edward tense as well. Grinning you looked to him and saw him look towards the motor on the back. "I take it there is no motors in your world?"_

_"No darling we use sails." he told her._

_"Alright ya'll hold on." Tyler called back before taking off._

_"What if there is no wind?" you asked over the motor, holding onto Nook tightly._

_"Then you either sit there until it starts back up or use the oars." he told her. Noticing Nook start panicking and Y/n having trouble holding the bear cub that was about half the size of her he scooted closer and quickly wrapped his arms around both her and the cub as they hit a rough spot and she almost fell. "Woah, I got you lass."_

_Snapping your eyes up to him you saw him looking down at you with his warm yellow eyes. Feeling the warmth from his body you swallowed hard and gave a grin, "Ugh...thanks." you said, looking back down at Nook to hopefully hide your blush._

_It was about a ten minute ride across the lake to the area where Nook would be released at. Helping Y/n out of the boat he enjoyed the feel of her hand in his for that short moment. Following her and Tyler once again they walked along a trail, listening to the two of them talk._

_"Beth is already there with Kayla and her cubs. She has been very calm for the past few days and we have been trying to keep her around this one area." Tyler spoke._

_"Well I think she will do good with him, She has taken in foster cubs before and she has some of her own right now so that's a plus." you said._

_"Yea, we are hopeful that within a years time Nook will be able to start heading out on his own after learning from Kayla."_

_Making their way to an open meadow of sorts he looked out to see a large bear with two other ones close by her. Getting closer he saw what looked to be something along the lines of a smaller vehicle and a woman standing by it. As she turned to them he saw her smile._

_"Y/n, it's good to see you again. I see you brought a friend this time."_

_"You to Beth. Yea, this is Edward, Nook's latest chew toy. Edward this is Beth, Tyler's wife. She works directly with the bears here at the park." you said with a small smile up at the tall man._

_Chuckling at her words he smiled down at the woman and gave her hand a small shake when he saw her hold her own out._

That had been a few hours ago. Now he watched along with Tyler and Kayla as the small woman worked with the bears. Y/n seemed to be completely in her element with the wild animals, a smile on her face. She even stood close to the mother bear, giving her small treats out of her hand and rubbing her. To everyone's surprise it had taken no time at all for Kayla to accept the new cub. Now Nook was playing with the other two cubs but every now and again he would come back over to hug Y/n's legs. 

"She really is something isn't she?" Beth asked with a smile. 

"Yes she is, I think the bears like her more than they do you honey." Tyler chuckled. 

"Well in my defense I have yet to see an animal that doesn't take to her." Beth said with a grin. "Smoke especially." 

"Very true, that wolf hates everyone but her." Tyler said. 

"Really?' he asked, joining in on the conversation.

"Oh yes, There is no one else that he allows near him. Even if it's one of the park rangers he starts showing his teeth but her, well I'm sure you will see for yourself, y/n is sure to go pay her demon child a visit while she is here. Warning before hand though, don't touch her or even get close to her while he is near or you're going to end up with about 42 sharp teeth in you." Tyler warned. 

"I take it that was a lesson learned by someone before?" he asked, one brow raised. 

Nodding Tyler looked to him, "One of the old rangers that worked here, Chris. Everyone tried telling him how iffy Smoke was of people. He followed y/n up there one day when she came hiking..."

"Stalking her is more like it." Beth huffed. 

"Stalking her?' he asked with a frown.

"Well yea okay. He had a thing for her and didn't really know how to take a hint that she wasn't interested." Tyler said, rubbing the back of his head. "Anyways Chris followed her up to where Smoke and his pack stay at and well it didn't end well."

"He practically ripped off Chris's thigh when he tried to wrap his arm around y/n." Beth added in. 

Raising both of his brows he looked across to Y/n and saw her still playing with the bears. "Is he like that with everyone she brings as well?" he asked and saw the couple look to him with furrowed brows. 

"You are the only person that she has ever brought with her." Beth told the large man. 

Sighing you watched as Nook tumbled around with the other bear cubs and interacted with Kayla, the mother bear already acting like she was hers. You knew you needed to slip away now. You always hated this part. Crouching down you saw Nook look to you and move over to go tackle you like he always did. Placing your hand behind you to balance yourself you rubbed his head and scratched behind his ear. "You be a good boy and don't give Kayla a hard time huh." you smiled softly. "I'll come back and see you in a month or so okay." kissing the top of his head you stood when he ran back over to the other cubs. Looking to Kayla she must have understood and you heard her let out a small huff before walking away, the cubs following right behind her. Turning around you moved over to Edward and the others but stopped when you felt a thump against your legs. Looking down you saw Nook there and smiled, "You go on now." you told him. 

Watching her and the bear cub she had been raising for almost a month now look at each other he tilted his head. Seeing Nook nuzzle into her leg and let out a grunt he smiled as the cub took off towards the others. 

"And some people saw animals don't have feelings." Beth huffed. 

Smiling you watched him go over the hill and then looked up to Edward to see him smiling softly down at you. "So want to go see Smoke?" you asked. 

"Where you go I will follow darling." 

....................................

It had been true what Beth and Tyler told him. As soon as they had gotten close to the wolf's den and Y/n had let out a loud whistle he had heard many wolves and saw them instantly come running over to Y/n and him. Stiffening he readied himself to act if they tried to attack her but to his surprise he saw them instantly knock her to the ground and start licking her, their tails wagging and little noises come from them. 

"Aw come on guys I already had my bath for today." you grumbled as the wolves went about licking at your face, neck and hair. Hearing Edward laugh the wolves seemed to notice him and some of the younger pups went over to sniff at his feet and legs. Crouching down some and going to pet them he saw some of the other ones quickly move away from y/n and glanced up to see a larger male come trotting over to them. The male was quick to pull his lips back over his teeth in a snarl, his tail bushing up in warning. That had to be him. 

"Smoke." you said in a motherly tone. "Come here bud." you called, noticing how the wolf was looking at Edward like he was his next meal. Sitting up you watched as smoke came over to you and instantly started smelling at you, no doubt picking up Nook's scent. "Yep yep I know I cheated on you." you told him, moving your hand to pet him. 

The wolf had kept his eyes on him the whole time and every time he had moved even a fraction of an inch towards y/n the wolf had started to growl. Before long though Y/n had said they need to head back, it was already getting late and they still had a long ride back to her home. 

Leaving the park you decided to stop for some supper on the way back home. Getting a booth in the back you had sat across from Edward and ordered a white Russian and a glass of water for yourself, "They have ale of you want." 

"Ill take one of those then." he told the woman with a grin and saw her nod, telling them she would be back with their drinks soon and handing them their menus. Looking it over he glanced across the table to Y/n and saw her reading over the menu. Looking back down he glanced over everything and saw her put down her menu. "Already decided darling?" 

Nodding you smiled. "Yep, do you have an idea of what you want?" you asked. 

Humming he gave a nod and placed his menu down just as the waitress came over with their drinks. Seeing something white get placed down in front of Y/n he knit his brows but said nothing as he and she ordered their food. He had been surprised when she ordered a steak. Good to see you actually eating something lass." he said in a teasing manner.

"Ha ha. I do eat, when I have time." you told him. Sipping at your drink you saw him looking it over and grinned. "What?"

"Is that milk?" he asked looking at the short glass with the darker brown liquid onto he bottom and this whiteish liquid clouding over the top. 

Giggling you smiled. "No, it's called a white Russian." Stirring it to blend it all together you looked up at him and rose a brow, "Want to try it?" you asked. 

Looking to her he hummed, "I suppose." Taking it from her when she slid it across the table he lifted it up and took a sip from the glass. Tasting the alcohol and coffee flavor he hummed as he sat it back in front of her. "It's good but I think I will stick to my sake."

"I've never had sake." you said and saw his eyes go wide. 

"You're kidding?"

Shaking your head you saw him smile. "We are going to have to change that darling. Now I don't know about the sake here but back in my world..." humming at the end he heard her give a small laugh again. 

"Here I'll add it to my list." you said, taking the small notebook out of your purse and flipping to the page you were looking for. "Try Sake." you said as you wrote. 

Seeing her write it in that book of hers he narrowed his eyes and tilted his head. He had seen her writing in it before but he didn't exactly know what it was. "What is that thing you have there." 

"Oh this... it's just this notebook I keep on me. I write my reminders and stuff like that in there. Then in the back there is my bucket list." 

"Bucket list?" he asked. 

"Yea it's this list you can make, things you want to do or try before you kick the bucket." you told him, folding the notebook back up and placing it back in your purse. 

Humming he looked at her as he lifted his own drink to his lips. "So what's some of the things on your list?"

"Um... well there's stuff like see the Niagara falls, try sake..." you named, thinking about some of the other things to tell him that wouldn't make you sound pathetic. "Uh, well see the ocean..." 

"Wait." he said and saw her stiffen. "You have never been to the sea, never seen it?" 

"Well I mean I've seen it on TV and stuff...." 

"But you have never personally been to it?" he asked and saw her shake her head. Letting out a deep sigh he looked to her and shook his head. "Never tried sake, never been to the sea... your killing me lass." he said and heard her let out a small chuckle, her eyes dropping to her lap. Thinking he may have embarrassed her he went to speak but then their plates were being set down in front of them. 

After they both had ate and she had paid for their food they went back out to the truck and he readied himself for the long drive back to her home. They had ate in a comfortable silence but something had been itching at him for a while now and he wanted to ask. "Y/n darling..." he said and heard her hum. "How come I've never heard you talk about any of your family, I've been with you for a little over a week now, you've heard me talk about mine but you never mention anything about your own. Where are they?" he asked, noticing her stiffen up and her lip move between her teeth. "I don't' mean to push you on it lass, I'm... well I'm just curious."

Taking a deep breath you sighed. "It's not something I like to talk about... not something I like to think about." you told him honestly, not wanting to sound rude you licked your lips. " I... don't know where they are and I likely never will." 

Hearing this he frowned, being able to pick up on the pain in her voice, the sadness, the loneliness. While he wanted to know more he wouldn't push it, for now. "Alright darling, I understand." he said and saw her nod. Hearing her phone ring he saw her pull it out and answer it, listening as she talked to someone from her work as it sounded. Thinking about what had just happened he looked out the window into the dark landscape. He had seen people with troubled pasts before, most of his children came from rough pasts and it was because of that he he knew that he would need to have patience and not push her, or else she would shut down. 

Moving to hold the wheel with your elbow you brushed back your hair and grit your teeth as Trish went about venting to you about the bar tonight and how she would need a break tomorrow. Then she threw in how she wanted to hang out with her boyfriend and blah blah blah. "Okay. Yea fine, I'll take your shift tomorrow. Look though I can't work morning the day after I... hello... Trish..." Pulling your phone away you saw she had hung up on you and shook your head. "bitch." you muttered under your breath. 

Hearing her curse he rose his brows and looked over to her, "Something wrong lass?" 

"Just an issue at work." you sighed. 

It was early into the morning when they arrived back at her home, the clock reading 4:26 am. Having to make a detour when there had been an accident it put them getting home later than they should have. A few times he couldn't help but doze off making him feel guilty knowing she very well couldn't sleep. Taking off his boots he turned to the woman and saw her rubbing her eyes. "I would say goodnight to you but well it's morning." he chuckled and heard her hum, her lips tugging up the tiniest amount. 

"Sorry about us getting back so late." you said, dropping your purse to the entry table and kicking off your boots. 

"Don't apologize darling it was nice, I enjoyed the time with you." he grinned. 

Glad for the dark room to hide your blush you took a deep breath. "Well thank you for the company." you told him and then covered a yawn. "I think I am going to try and get some sleep, I have to be at work in a few hours." 

Frowning at that he saw her already walking towards her bedroom. 

"Good morning Edward." you said, waving back to him. 

Smiling a little he let out a huff and then moved to his own bedroom. "You too lass." 


	5. Chapter 5

Fixing himself something to eat and settling down on the couch to eat while he watched something on the TV, something about this giant alligator that had caught his attention he started eating. Finishing the supper he had made with the slab of beef in the fridge and some other vegetables he continued holding his bowl in his lap for sometime as he watched the movie. By the time the movie had went off he let outa sigh and stood to go clean up before taking a shower. Walking to the kitchen he stopped when he saw something outside. Stepping back a step he looked out into the dark night to see Y/n's truck parked in it's usual spot. When had she got home? He was sure her truck hadn't been there when he started eating an hour or so ago. Had she somehow came in without him knowing? Setting his bowl on the table he moved to the hall way and looked towards her bedroom door to see it still open like she always left it when she was at work. Nope, not in there. It was still early for her to be home, only around ten or so. Don't tell him she had went swimming, it was freezing outside, he had even started a fire with the wood he had caught her stacking by the backdoor earlier this week. 

_"You do know I am willing to help out around here right darling?" he asked when he woke up to find y/n already up and moving about. She had told him the night before that she didn't have to go in until later today. Damn girl shouldn't have to work at all today after working the past three days on barely a wink of sleep. After they had gotten back from taking Nook to his new home she had had to wake up four hours later to go into work, probably not even that considering that like always, breakfast had been waiting on the table for him. She had gotten back that night at her usual late time and he knew she had been exhausted when she didn't even go for her nightly swim. For the following two days she had worked long shifts and when he got up out of bed to see her last night as she arrived home he saw the dark circles under her eyes. Still though she had remained as kind as ever, speaking him to him like normal even when he noticed her wince as she removed her boots from her no doubt sore feet._

_So to see her out here now, early in the morning unloading a pile of wood from the back of her truck he frowned. She didn't answer him when he spoke and he took a step down towards her when she seemed to finally notice him and pulled out one of the headphones that had been in her ears. The thing she said she used to listen to music on. Meeting her eyes he saw them a little less sleep deprived but still he could tell she was tired._

_"Good morning." you said with a small smile. Setting the piece of wood on the chopping block you grabbed your ax and moved to swing at it when something stopped you. Turning around you saw Edward had taken hold of the ax handle and was holding above your head. "Wha..."_

_"Why are you out here chopping wood?" he asked._

_Furrowing your brows at the question you looked up to him, still holding onto the ax. "Because it's going to be cold in a few days and I need fire wood." you answered even though you thought it would be obvious._

_"I get that but why wouldn't you ask me to do it?"_

_"Because I can do it and you are my guest."_

_Raising a brow he huffed, "I'm pretty sure I don't really count as a guest anymore lass, not when I have been here for two weeks now." he told her, pulling the ax out of her hands. "Go in the house darling." he told her, moving to chop the wood._

_"Edward you don't have to do this. I really am capable of..."_

_"I know you are but I am going to do it. I think it is you that needs to understand that I am capable of working as well." he spoke, looking down at her with a soft grin. Noticing her still reluctant he smiled and gave her a small nudge towards the house. "I am no stranger to hard work. Now go. Read a book, watch TV...eat something." he said and saw her sigh before she turned and moved towards the door. Watching her walk away he smiled and then moved to start chopping and stacking wood._

He shouldn't have been surprised when he had finished and found her in the house cleaning. Over his time here in this world with her he had taken notice of one very clear thing, this woman never took a break. She was always doing something. It was like she didn't know how to take time for herself. Checking over the house just in case he confirmed that she wasn't inside and he knew she wasn't swimming when he saw her bathing suit top and bottoms hung over the rod in her bathroom. That strange feeling was back in his chest making him feel anxious. Humming he moved over to his boots and slipped his feet in them before opening the door and quickly stepping outside, shutting the door behind him to keep out the cold. Walking down the steps he saw her truck empty but heard music coming from somewhere and knit his brows. Walking around the house he looked to the barn in the backyard and noticed a light coming from under the door. He had taken a peek inside his first week here but wasn't able to see much through the small crack the lock allowed in the door. Moving closer he noticed the lock now hanging off the handle and not in place. 

Opening the door some he heard the music get louder and looked the inside over to see it filled with various things. Hearing a hammering along with the music he walked around the strange looking thing and towards the back of the barn all the while the lyrics played in his head. 

_Come on now try and understand  
_ _The way I feel when I'm in your hands  
_ _Take my hand come undercover  
_ _They can't hurt you now,  
_ _Can't hurt you now, can't hurt you now_

 _Because the night belongs to lovers  
_ _Because the night belongs to lust  
_ _Because the night belongs to lovers  
_ _Because the night belongs to us_

Finally finding the woman he had been looking for he stood there quietly, watching her. She had her back to him, her hands working on something. She looked to be building something... a table it looked like. Her over shirt laid discarded on the nearby counter with other tools and such leaving her in nothing but a grey tank top. While he would have normally noticed how form fitting the tank top was on her, something she didn't normally show off, his eyes focused instead on the other things. A cut in the shirt itself, along her left side that had blood staining the material a dark red. Fresh bruises forming over shoulder blades that disappeared beneath the shirt. Her stance that was favoring her right leg more than her left. A bottle filled with an amber liquid that sat half empty on the table she was building, the top no where in sight. 

_Have I doubt when I'm alone  
_ _Love is a ring, the telephone  
_ _Love is an angel disguised as lust  
_ _Here in our bed until the morning comes  
_ _Come on now try and understand  
_ _The way I feel under your command  
_ _Take my hand as the sun descends  
_ _They can't touch you now,  
_ _Can't touch you now, can't touch you now_

_Because the night belongs to lovers…_

Watching as she reached for the bottle neck he noticed the cuts and bruises along her knuckles. A deep frown had set across his face, his brows dipped down low at seeing the state she was in. She took a long drink from the bottle before sitting it back down and grabbing the piece of wood to take it over to what looked like a saw of sorts. He had been right about her favoring her left leg, a small limp giving her away. She had yet to notice him and when he saw her move to use the saw he quickly called out to her. "Y/n?"

Letting out a small gasp in surprise you dropped your hold on the wood and quickly turned to see Edward standing there. "You scared me." you spoke, quickly looking down and picking up the wood, biting your lip to hold back your whimper of pain as it throbbed through your body. "I thought you would have already been asleep." you said. 

Watching her place the wood under the saw and hit a button to make it start turning quickly he stood behind her, his arms crossed over his chest. As soon as the piece was cut she grabbed it and moved back over to where she had been working. She kept her eyes down, avoiding him it would seem. "What happened to you?" he asked. 

"Nothing." you answered shortly. Going back to work you were hoping he would let it go and go back in the house but you weren't that lucky. 

Stepping up beside her he curled his finger under her chin and lifted her eyes to his. Seeing the bruise staining the side of her cheek and up her temple he grit his teeth, noticing her busted lip as well. "This doesn't look like nothing darling." he spoke deeply. 

Looking into his yellow eyes for a moment you swallowed hard and quickly pulled away from him, focusing your eyes back down and curtaining your face from view with your hair. "I'm fine." you mumbled. Putting the board in place you grabbed the hammer and nails. Maybe if you went back to work and ignored him he would leave. 

Sighing he leaned up against the table, watching her try and brush this off. Glancing down to the bottle he lifted it up to smell it, "Damn girl, are you trying to burn a hole in your stomach?" 

Rolling your eyes you grabbed the bottle from him and sat it on the other side of you. Hammering the nails in place you looked around for your pencil and realized you had left it over by the saw. Sighing you grabbed the bottle and drank from it as you walked over to the work bench, feeling it burn all the way down. 

"I know that stuff can't taste that good." he said, continuing to watch her. She was swaying a bit, her movements slightly clumsy. She wasn't drunk but she was on her way to being so. 

"Doesn't have to taste good so long as it does it's job." you spoke, tucking your pencil behind your ear and moving to go grab another piece of wood from the stack. "You should go back inside, it's cold." 

Huffing he shook his head, "Says the woman out here with a tank top on." 

"I'm fi..."

"Fine? Yes lass you keep saying that but you are a horrible liar." when she didn't reply he watched her disappear behind a wall, listening as she moved wood around. "So want to tell me what really happened?" 

"It was justa fight at the bar... group of guys started arguing. I went ta try and break it up when it turned ugly and well.... whatever... doesn't matter." you grumbled, finding a piece that looked right you reached over and tried to pull it out when you lost your balance and tripped over some of the other wood that had been in the shadows. Falling to the pile you groaned and cursed through your teeth. 

Hearing a loud clatter of boards and then her noises of frustration he walked around the side of the wall and saw her laying on her back in the pile of wood, one foot caught under a few of the boards. Her hands were rubbing her face until one moved to lift the bottle of alcohol from the stack of wood, only a little of it left now. 

Going to bring the bottle to your lips you felt it get snatched away from you and knit your brows, moving your hand away from your face to look up at him. "Hey... give me back my..."

"You've had plenty lass." he told her, setting the bottle on the shelf out of the way. "Now come on let's get you inside." he said bending down to help her up. 

Being pulled up you felt the room spin but you still tried tugging your hand out of his, not ready to call it a night. "I said I was fine, I don't want to go inside yet and I don't need you telling me what to do." 

"Y/n you are drunk, hurt and cold. You are not staying out here anymore tonight." he told her firmly. 

"I am not drunk." Huffing you pulled and pulled but he wouldn't let go. "No, leave me alone." you growled. 

Knowing she wasn't going to give up easily he shook his head and finally lifted her up, tossing her over his shoulder like a sack of flour and turning to carry her into the house. 

"Hey. No. Ed you put me down right now. Let me go." you told him in your best angry voice. 

Smiling at the shortened name he moved over to turn off the thing that was playing music and then move to the light switch. "Now you ought to know that captains don't take orders from others darling." 

"Captain jackass!" you yelled and heard him laugh. Hitting against his back to try and make him put you down you dangled over his wide shoulder, his large arm wrapped over your thighs, just under your ass. 

"I've been called worse." he told her, taking her into the house and closing the backdoor before locking it. Continuing to hold her he unlaced one boot after the other, dropping them to the floor and then kicking off his own. Carrying her over to the couch he sat her down on it, pushing her gently back down when she tried to get up and then moving her feet to set up on the other side. "You sit here while I make you something to eat." he told her and saw her glare at him. 

"I'm not hungry." you grumbled. 

"Well that's too bad because you're going to eat." he said in a firm voice. Walking to the kitchen he made her a bowl of the stew he had made and grabbed a few of the crackers from her cabinets to help soak up the alcohol in her system. Carrying it back over to the couch he held it out for her, raising one of his brows when she at first didn't take it. Sitting beside her he found something to watch on the TV while making sure she ate like he had told her to. After a while he looked over to see her sleeping, her bowl sitting in her lap with almost all of it gone. Grinning softly he took the bowl from her and set it in the sink before moving to pick her up, this time bridal style in his arms and carry her to her room. He couldn't lie he enjoyed holding her in his arms, her head resting on his chest. Holding her with one arm he moved to pull back her blankets and then gently laid her down on the bed. Looking down to the bloody area on her side he cried his finger under the material of her tank top and lifted it up enough to peek at the injury. Frowning at the cut that he easily recognized as a knife wound, he moved to her bathroom to grab a rag and wet it with hot water. Ringing it out he went back to her bedside and then proceeded to clean the area, hearing her whimper a bit in her sleep. Once he was satisfied he tossed the rag to the sink and covered her up, turning the light off and leaving her door open so he could check up on her throughout the night. Cleaning up the dishes and putting the stew away in the fridge he checked on her before moving to take a shower, with one last look at her before bed he made sure she was sleeping soundly before laying in his own bed. 

...........................

He had woken throughout the night to check on her and tend to the fire. Every time he had went into her room she was sound asleep. At one point he had nearly tripped over something and when he picked it up to see what had been laying in the middle of her floor he found it to be her discarded pants. Snapping his eyes to her he saw she had one of her feet sticking out from under the covers, her bare foot and calf visible to his eyes. When he woke up the next morning he saw her still sleeping, this time on her stomach with her head under the pillows. Chuckling he moved to the kitchen to make them both breakfast. 

Waking up with a groan you turned your throbbing head under the pillow and looked out to the sun lit room. Blinking you moved your hand up to rub your eyes and yawned. Thinking back to last night you sighed, stupid you had been so fucking stupid. First you had tried to break up a fight which hadn't ended well then you come home and embarrass yourself in front of Edward. God you just wanted the bed to suck you up but your bladder had other ideas. Rolling over you winced at the pain in your body and burn in your side. Looking to the floor and seeing your pants by your bed you felt your eyes go wide at the thought of Edward removing them but then quickly remembered taking them off yourself when you got uncomfortable in the middle of the night. Sitting up you swung your legs over the side and then stood and walked, slightly limped to the bathroom. There was a small bit of noise coming from the other part of the house but you wanted to clean yourself up before you faced him. Shutting the door you took off your tank top and bra, biting into your lip to stop the whimper when your side seemed to be set aflame. Looking up to your reflection in the mirror you frowned at the sight that met you. A dark bruise covered your cheek and up into your hairline, your lip was swollen slightly and busted. You couldn't see your back but you could feel the ache there from where you had been slammed into the beam by that man. Dropping your eyes to your side you saw the red cut that happened when you stepped into the way. Looking to your leg you saw the slightly swollen knee and well you didn't exactly remember how that had happened. All in all you looked and felt like shit. With a deep sigh you turned on the shower and moved inside. 

Looking up when he heard a small noise he saw something out of the corner of his eye and turned, "Good morning lass. Wasn't expecting to see you up so soon." he said with a smile even though she had her head dipped down. 

Glancing up at him from under your lashes you rubbed your arm. "Good morning." you said softly and bit your lip in thought. "I'm sorry about last night, for bothering you. You didn't have to.. to help me but thank you. I really am sorry." 

Knitting his brows at hearing her apologize so much he looked to her and saw her curled up some. Was is shame or embarrassment? "Darling you don't have to apologize to me, it was no trouble at all."

"Still though, I.. I'm not your problem and you shouldn't have to take care of me." you said, looking down at your feet as the guilt ate at you. 

Stepping over to stand in front of her he looked down at her. "You're right you're not my problem, you are my friend and friends help each other." he told her, her eyes lifting to his for a moment. Seeing the set in bruise on her face he furrowed his brows, anger filling him that someone had hurt her. Curling his finger under her chin to better look over it h felt a warmth spread through his chest, her eyes shooting away from him. "Beautiful woman like you shouldn't have bruises on her face." he said, moving his thumb up to gently stroke her discolored skin. 

Freezing you thought you had heard him wrong at first but then his eyes told you that you had heard perfectly right. A warmth spread to your face and you knew your cheeks were on fire, your ears to no doubt. Opening and closing your mouth a bit you shook your head and tried to find the words you were looking for, "I...I'm not..."

A round of knocks on the door cut her off and he stiffened. Feeling her face fall from his hand he looked down at her to see her turn towards the door, watching her limp her way over to it. Turning back to the stove to finish up breakfast he heard her speaking with whoever was at the door, noting she didn't sound like she was in danger by any means. Thinking about what had just happened he swallowed hard. He was well aware of his own feelings, he knew there was something going on between them, something that he couldn't explain. There had been many stories back in his world about certain people who had this unexplainable connection to one another, a soulmate and he couldn't help but wonder if maybe she was his, if maybe she was the reason he was sent here. He was younger, shorter both to more fit her the fact that he had literally shown up right hat her feet. Still though he had to take this slow, it was clear as day that y/n had been hurt, emotionally, mentally, hopefully not physically, she would need more time. Time to open up and come out of her shell. 

"...damnit y/n I just don't see why you..." 

Hearing the male voice he turned around some and looked to see the man from before standing in the dining room. He was an older man with black hair that was turning grey along with a goatee. He wore a dark green uniform that reminded him of a marine. Seeing the male look to him with a clear unhappy look he rose a brow. 

"What is he doing here?" Garth asked the young woman before snapping his eyes back to the young man. "What are you doing here?" Not waiting for the man to answer he looked back down to y/n and pinched the bridge of his nose. "You do know I was only joking when I made the comment about you taking in another wild thing right?" 

Rolling your eyes at the sheriff you saw Edward glaring at him and walked over towards the coffee pot, gently patting his arm on the way, silently asking him to just ignore him. 

Feeling y/n pat his arm as she passed he relaxed and felt the corner of his lip lift a little. 

"You are the reason my hair is going grey I swear it." Garth grumbled. Looking back up at the woman he placed his hand on his hip and watched as she filled his cup with more coffee. Sighing he looked down at her.

Meeting his eyes you rose your brows, "What?... Well are you going to arrest me?" you asked, both of you missing Edward tense up again. 

"I should... but no, I'm not. BUT. I want you to promise me you won't get into any more fights at the bar."

"I didn't start it." you said defensively. 

"I don't give a rats ass who started it y/n. Point is I got two guys in lock up that look like they have been through the ringer and one in the hospital that had a knife stuck in his thigh..."

"He pulled the knife on me first." 

Listening in on the conversation behind him he raised his brows at hearing what his little lass had done in the fight with three men. He hadn't really taken her as a fighter. One thing was sure she may be small but she sure as hell wasn't some push over. 

"Y/n." he said in a stern voice and saw her drop her arms. "Look I can't keep bailing you out every time something bad happens. One of these days you are going to get into it with the wrong people and I don't want to find you dead in some ditch." Seeing her look away with her brows lowered he moved his hand to her shoulder. "I'm not saying you need to let those fuckers walk all over you but just... be careful will ya?" he asked and saw her relax some before nodding. "Alright then. Well you just take it easy today. I've talked to Mel and he agreed you needed a day off." 

Sighing you looked up to him and nodded. "Thanks Garth." 

Humming he glanced across to the large man cooking at the stove and rose a brow. "What's going on here?" he asked quietly, waving his finger between the two. 

"Nothing Garth." you groaned from under you breath. 

"Hey there boy..." 

Boy?! Did he just call him boy? He should be the one calling him boy? Gritting his teeth he turned around and looked to the man but relaxed some when he saw y/n looking to him. "Yeah?" he asked, attempting to make his voice not show how irritated he was. 

"Where is it you are from?" the sheriff asked. 

"Out of town." he answered. 

Giving a grunt he went to speak but y/n cut him off. 

"Alright well thank you for the visit Garth, I am sure you have much work to do today." you said. 

"Now wait just a minute, I wanna talk to you down at the station, get some things sorted out..." he said, looking to the large man as he crossed his arms over his chest. 

Sensing the tension between the two men you started pushing Garth towards the door. "Well we already have plans for today so he's going to give you a rain check."

"Plans where?" Garth asked. 

"We.. we are going..." thinking you looked to Edward and then back to Garth, "to the fall festival." 

"You are going to the fall festival?" The sheriff asked in disbelief.

"Am I not allowed?" you asked, raising one of your brows at him.

"I didn't say that." looking to y/n and then the stranger and then back down to the small woman he sighed "Just be careful huh?"

"Always am." 

Huffing out shook his head and walked away, "And behave.", showing himself out. 

Once Garth was gone you turned to walk back to make your own cup of coffee, letting out a sigh. "I'm sorry about Garth he is just, well that's just how he is." you told Edward. 

"I don't think he likes me much." he said, flipping the pancakes he was making. 

"Don't take it personally he is just warry of new people." you told him. 

"He seems to think a lot about you." 

"I wouldn't say a lot but then again if it wasn't for him I don't know where I'd be right now." you said, your voice growing softer towards the end. 

Furrowing his brows he looked down to her and saw her stirring her coffee. Of course per usual before he could ask anything further on the matter she spoke up, changing the subject. 

"Want me to make you some tea... since you took my job?" you asked with a small smile towards the breakfast he was making. He had told you he didn't much care for coffee but you knew he liked tea. 

Grinning he nodded and saw her move to make him tea as he grabbed the plates. 

Taking both your cups to the table you saw him set a plate filled with food by your cup and snapped your eyes up at him. "I can't eat all of that." looking back to the plate holding the two pancakes, two eggs, three pieces of bacon and one piece of toast you shook your head. There was no way.

"Sure you can." he assured her, sitting down once he had grabbed the syrup and butter. Watching her sit down and start trying to eat he grinned. "So are we really going to this fall festival?" he asked, taking a bite of his food. 

"If you want to." you told him. 

"Sounds nice. What sort of stuff do they do here for a festival." 

"I don't know I've never been." you told him honestly. 

Humming he looked up to her, "Then I guess we will just find out together." he told her and saw her smile before they both ate in a comfortable silence. As he continued eating he thought about her and the things he had observed. He knew from what others said and how others reacted that she didn't seem to do things with others before him. The whole time he had been here he had not once seen anyone else around, no family of any sorts or even friends. He knew she loved books based on the amount in her home. She also seemed to enjoy music. Then of course their was her love for nature and animals, grinning he imagined how much she would enjoy meeting a Mink. She wasn't a materialistic person, something he liked about her. Other than that though it was becoming clear to him that she lived a very lonely life and while some chose that life she didn't come across as a person that wanted to live that way. 

When he noticed her getting up he snapped his eyes to her plate and saw she had only ate half of it. 

Noticing his look you quickly spoke up, "I'm going to put it up and eat it tomorrow." you said defensively and saw his eyes narrow playfully. "I promise." you smiled and saw him take another bite of his food. "Thank you for breakfast." you told him. 

"You are more than welcome darling." 

Wrapping up your plate and sticking it in the fridge you moved towards your bedroom. "I have a few things to do before we leave, I have to go check in with my boss and run a few errands. Put your dishes in the sink and I'll wash them when I get done. Be back in a few hours." you told him. 

Cleaning up himself he had been filling the wood heater while she went and got ready to leave. She had told him it was only an hour away so they should be getting there around four and from what she had said the festival lasted until ten at night. 

"I told you I would wash them. You cooked I would have at least cleaned up." you told him. 

Turning around he felt his heart thump a little harder in his chest. She was dressed differently than she normally did, having traded in her jeans and shirt for a pair of tight black fitting pants, a baggy looking grey long-sleeved shirt, a black pair of boots and a red scarf. Her make up had been done as well, something he had never seen her wear before. It wasn't caked onto her face like he had seen women before do, if anything it looked to be applied to help hide the bruises on her face. She looked nice in a casual way, cute but when he watched her move over to grab something and bend over he had to swallow hard at the way the black pants like things left nothing to the imagination. Seeing her stand he quickly adverted his eyes, feeling the back of his neck heat up a bit. 

"Ready?" you asked with a smile. 

"Lead the way lass." he said and followed her out to the truck. 


	6. Chapter 6

"Thank you." you told the teenager working the stand as he handed over two corndogs. 

"You're welcome miss." 

Handing Edward his you both started walking through the festival. It was already dark out but the lights made the area glow in that fun carnival way. There were plenty of other people around also enjoying the entertainment the festival had to offer but luckily it wasn't too crowded tonight. 

Swallowing his food he hummed. "What did you say this was called again?" he asked, glancing down beside him. 

"A corndog. Do you like it, if you don't we can get you something else." you said. 

"No lass it's good. I like it. What's that you got on yours?" he asked noticing she had something yellowish on hers. 

"Mustard. Want some?" you asked, holding out the small tray you had with mustard in it.

Dipping his corndog in it he took another bite and nodded, "That does taste good." he said and saw her continue holding it out so they could both share it. Walking along the back part of the festival where it was a bit more quiet he looked around at all the different things, smiling softly at the sight of all the children running and laughing about. "What's your favorite thing to eat?" Deciding to use this time to get to know more about her.

"Um well I'm not really picky either but I do like fruit, pretty much any kind." 

"What about your least favorite?" he asked, finishing off his corndog. 

"Definitely a close tie between beans and cottage cheese." you told him and heard him chuckle. "What about you?" you asked. 

"Ah... Tripe." seeing her slightly confused face he filled her in, "Animal stomach lining." he said and saw her nose scrunch up in distaste making him chuckle at how cute he thought she looked. 

"That devil fruit what is that, what did it taste like?" you asked, grabbing his trash to toss in the bin as you both passed. 

"Imagine a blue pear with a bumpy and twirled skin that taste like rotten eggs smell." 

"Ew." 

"Yeah, probably the worst thing I have ever eaten. I downed four barrels of sake trying to get the taste out of my mouth. They all look different but they are all said to taste horrible." he told her. 

"See I would never eat one of those things anyway because I like swimming too much." you grinned.

Nodding he looked to the giant house like thing beside them and knit his brows. "House of mirrors." he read and watched a few teenagers go inside. 

"It's a maze." Seeing him looking at it you bit your lip. "Do you want to try it?" you asked. 

Looking down at her he rose his brows and shrugged with a grin, "Why not." Walking with her through one of the entrances, he could hear the distant laughter of the teenagers but he couldn't see them. Going to walk a certain way he walked right into what he now knew to be a mirror and heard her giggle softly. Huffing through his nose he looked around trying to figure out which way to go he chose right. He got a few more meters in, making turns this way and that before he yet again ran into a wall. Hearing her let out an actual laugh this time he licked his lips and grinned. "I'm glad I am amusing you." he said, looking down at her. While he didn't much like the constant running into walls he didn't at all mind the confined space that was making her stand closer to him. Seeing her smiling still he rose a brow, "Think you can do better darling?" he asked. 

Humming you looked around. Walking forward you saw him still turning as he too looked for a way out. Feeling around the corner you found the secret path and went around it. 

Turning back around he saw her no longer beside him and tensed, his smile falling. "Y/n?" he called and then saw a small hand poke out from behind a invisible corner, her fingers wiggling before offering her hand out for him to take. Grinning widely he took her hand and felt her pull him along. Once they had found the exit he chuckled and followed her along to another stand. 

"Do you want a drink? They have cider, beer, wine..." you named off.

"I'll take a beer." 

Nodding you turned to woman making drinks. "One draft and one cider please." Again thanking her as you paid for your drinks you turned to hand Edward his. Seeing an arcade tent you smiled and grabbed his hand, "Come on." 

Not arguing he let the little woman pull him along towards the tent with all the flashing lights and sounds. They played a little of the games inside the tent before making their way out, both of them laughing. Seeing a few other things set up outside of the tent he looked to her, "What are those?" he asked. 

"Other games but they are really hard to win and are most of the time rigged." 

"How so?" he asked, watching people try and fail at the games with very few winning.

"Well the three bottle throw for example, one of the bottles weigh more than the others and he will stack them so it's on the bottom but you don't know which one and so it's hard to knock them all down. The ladder climb is off center as well."

Nodding he continued looking around at them, his eyes stopping when he saw one called 'The Strongman'. "What about that one there?" he asked. 

Following his eyes to the high strike you moved to sip at your drink. "I think it's just really hard."

Watching a well built man walk up to the young man running the game and give him two of the tickets they had been using to play the games earlier he saw the man get handed a large mallet of sorts. The man then proceeded to walk over to the tall thing and swing the mallet over his head, bringing it down on the target and sending a ball halfway up the tower. He didn't look very pleased as he walked away, handing the man back the mallet. Finishing his drink he looked down to y/n and crossed his arms over his chest. "How many tickets do we have left?" he asked. 

Surprised you pulled them out of your pocket and quickly counted them. "Um four. Why?" you asked but he didn't answer instead he tore off two and started walking over to the high strike game. Following after him you stood back some as he paid to play, being handed the mallet. 

Testing out the weight of the mallet in his hand he could tell it was considerably off balance but he could work with it. Looking towards Y/n he saw her watching him and gave a smile as he moved over to the target. Looking up to the bell on the top he huffed a little under his breath. Swinging the mallet back and over his shoulder he brought it down on the base and heard a loud ding as it hit the bell hard. 

Smiling you gave a little chuckle as he beat the game like it was nothing, standing back straight and holding out the mallet for the boy to take. 

Going to walk away with a prideful smile on his face he heard the boy speak and turned around. 

"D..don't you want to pick your prize?" he asked the giant man.

Raising both his brows he looked to where the boy was pointing and saw many stuffed animals and other novelty things hanging on this wall. He was happy enough to just be able to show off in front of her but he wouldn't say no to being able to get her something as well. Scanning over them he saw one and grinned, "I'll take that one there." he said. 

Seeing him still talking to the man you turned to toss away your empty cups in the trash can beside you. 

"Here ya go darling." 

Turning back when you heard him speak you were met with a large fluffy teddy bear that had white fur and hearts for eyes. Opening your mouth you snapped your eyes up to Edward and saw him looking at you with a soft smile. When he nudged it towards you again you blushed and gave a smile as you took it into your arms. "T..thank you." you told him, looking back down to the teddy bear in your arms, a warmth spreading throughout your chest. 

Seeing her look to the thing like he had just given her some kind of priceless gem he furrowed his brows a bit but said nothing as she smiled and then looked up to him. 

Looking up to him and then around you saw what you were looking for and grinned. "My turn." you said, taking his hand and walking over to the archery booth. "Will you hold this?" you asked him, holding out the white bear. 

Taking the bear he watched her curiously as she went up to the stand worker and handed over the last of their two tickets. Seeing the woman hand her a bow and lay out three arrows he rose his brows. Watching her take aim and then let out a slow breath he looked towards the small star printed on the piece of paper on the other side of the range, about twenty feet away. It was a small target but the woman had said she had three chances to hit it. 

Letting out a deep breath you let the arrow fly, holding completely still until it was released from the string. As it hit the star you smiled.

"Wow, first try good job. If you want you can try for two more and win the big prize." She told the woman before moving to talk to the little girl who was taking her las shot beside her. 

Nodding you easily shot the next two targets dead on and saw the attendant smile to you before looking back down to the little girl and telling her something that made the girl look sad. 

"Okay you can pick out a big prize." she told the woman.

Looking back to the little girl who was seeming to ask her mother for another try you noticed the mother shake her head and tell her that she didn't have anymore money. Furrowing your brows as they both started to walk away you quickly looked back up to the attendant and told her what you wanted. Grabbing both smaller prizes from her you walked over to the girl and held out the toy bow and arrow set she had been eyeing the whole time, "Here you go sweetheart." you said with a smile. 

Noticing y/n take her prizes quickly and then hurry towards the mother and child that had been walking away he couldn't help the large smile that spread across the bottom half of his face when he saw his lass give the little girl the prize.

Smiling as the little girl and her mother both told you thank you you nodded, "You keep practicing and then next year you will get it for sure okay." you told her and saw her nod enthusiastically. Waving you walked back over to Edward and saw him smiling down at you. Holding out the other small prize for him. "For you." 

Looking down to the toy he licked his lips and took it from her, holding up the foam sword and looking to her with a raised brow.

"What, you are a pirate right, so you need a sword." you smiled.

Hearing this he couldn't help from busting out into a loud laugh. Smiling he looked to her and nodded. "Thank you lass." he said with a chuckle. Feeling her take the bear back he continued holding the sword as they made their way away from the games. Taking a seat next to her on the set out hay bails he looked to the desert she had gotten them to share, something called a funnel cake that was topped with baked apples. He didn't much care for sweets but this was pretty good. They hay bails were set up to where they gave different people privacy and overlooked the mountains, it was nice, peaceful. Swallowing the food in his mouth he took a drink of his water before speaking. "Earlier this morning when you were speaking about that man, Garth... you said that you wouldn't be where you were if it wasn't for him. What did you mean by that?" he asked. 

Looking down you chewed and swallowed your food, thinking about if you wanted to tell him. Seeing the bear beside you and then noticing how close he was sitting, his knee almost brushing yours you took a deep breath. "Let's just say that when he found me I wasn't in a good place." you said and missed his brows furrowing down. "He helped me get on my feet, got me a job at the bar, rents his in-law's old cabin out to me, keeps me out of trouble." you huffed. Biting your lip you nodded, "I wasn't lying when I said he was a good guy. I know he seems like an ass but he is actually a big softy. He's fighting a loosing battle with the town, it gets worse and worse every year, more trouble showing up." 

"Like those punks at the bar, the ones that did this?" he asked, stroking her cheek where her make up was beginning to fade, revealing the bruise there.

"Yea." you sighed. Feeling the warmth from his hand soak into your cold cheek you started to relax when the lights started cutting off. "Well I guess it's time to go home." you told him and saw him nod, his hand slowly slipping from your face. Grabbing your bear and seeing him grab his sword you gave a small giggle at how small it looked in his large hand. 

Dropping the plate into the trash he started leading her back to the truck. "You know darling I actually don't use a sword."

Narrowing your eyes up at him playfully you grinned, "I knew you weren't a real pirate." 

Chuckling he smiled, "I didn't say I don't know how I just prefer my naginata." Seeing her confusion he tilted his head. "Picture a sword with a long handle." he said and saw her nod. 

"Does it have a name?" you asked knowing people named their weapons.

Humming he nodded, "Murakumogiri."

"What does it look like?" you asked, wanting to know more about him. 

"Well it stands about a foot or so taller than me...."

..............................

Making your rounds at the bar you wiped off tables and filled up empty glasses. It was nice having off yesterday to spend time with Edward, nice having the more quiet time. Now however it was back to usual and the bar was as rowdy as ever on a Sunday afternoon. Covering a yawn you turned to wash the recent mugs that had been placed in the sink. So far the guys from the other night hadn't come in and you were hoping their friends didn't either. While yes it was rowdy that was only due to the football game on the TV and not because the customers were being assholes. Drying the mugs and placing them back on the shelf you felt Trish come up beside you and looked to her. 

"There is a guy at the end of the bar that is asking for you." 

Sighing you grit your teeth as you turned to look down that way, hoping and praying it wasn't one of the usual creeps. However once you saw the face of the man that had requested you you felt your eyes go wide and walked over to him. "What... you're here... is something wrong?" you asked, remembering you had told him to come and get you if ever there was a problem. 

Having grown bored at the house and also anxious about his lass being at the apparently shady bar again he had quickly decided today was going to be the day he went and checked it out. Walking up the steps he had heard the noise from inside before he could even open the doors. Taking the empty seat at the end of the bar away from some of the others he had quickly caught sight of her and felt a small grin come to his face. She hadn't noticed him yet but when the other woman came over he had quickly told her politely that he was waiting for y/n. Seeing her look to him in shock before walking over to him he smiled. "No lass nothing's wrong just wanted to come see this place for myself." 

Coming to stand in front of him with only the bar between you both you crossed your arms and looked around. "No really much to see honestly." you grinned. 

"Well that may be true but there is one nice thing about this place." he said with a soft smile. 

Dropping your eyes to hide your blush you licked your lips before looking back up to him. "Want a drink?" you asked.

"I'll never say no to that." he replied and saw her move to make him a drink. He had noticed how she wasn't good at taking compliments, like she didn't believe there was anything about her to admire.

Sitting the mug of beer in front of him you leaned against the bar and glanced around to see everyone taken care of for now. 

Hearing some of the men in the bar cheer he knit his brows and looked to her for answers. 

"They are watching football." you told him and saw him even more confused. 

Listening to her explain the apparent sport to him, he glanced up to the TV to watch it occasionally as she worked. Most of the time though his eyes would move to her. She knew what most of them wanted without being asked. Balancing a tray on one hand while the other handed out the drinks and then wiped off tables. There were times when someone would throw out their hand or even stand quickly and she would quickly dodge them before continuing on her way. "How long have you been working here darling?" he asked once she had moved back over to refill his own mug. 

"I started cleaning and stuff when I was fifteen then moved up the line slowly, been working the bar for about five years now." you told him. 

Fifteen? If Garth had 'found' her and gotten her the job then that made him wonder exactly where her parents had been. Saying nothing for now he only hummed. 

"When did you decide that you were going to be a pirate?" you asked with a grin. 

"Oh about thirteen or so." he told her, thinking back he realized how long ago that had been, back when he had nothing to his name and no family to call his own. 

"Your parents let you become a pirate at thirteen?" you asked, leaning against the bar again to take a break. 

Placing his elbow on the bar he moved to rest his head on his fist and kept his eyes on her. "Didn't have any parents lass, I was an orphan." 

Feeling your face fall you gently shook your head and went to apologize, feeling guilty, "Ed I'm sorry I didn't mean..." 

"Don't apologize darling." he told her with a soft grin. "I don't mind telling you. I told you my island was very bad off when I was a boy and it was. It was a poverty nation and couldn't afford the world Government's protection so it was raided a lot. I was told my parents were killed when I was very young, too young to remember them." 

Carrying on through the night you listened to him tell you more and more about his life, there was a little sad bits here and there but most of it was good or at least the parts he told you for now. After taking care of a table that called you over you walked back over and went to strike up another conversation with Edward when you heard Trish chuckle and say that your favorite customer was back followed by a loud whistle. Looking up you deflated a bit, "Oh no. I thought you moved?"

"Oh come on baby girl you know you're happy to see me." the man said as he took a seat at the bar. 

"I was happy to see you leave." you grumbled. 

"Now I thought we agreed that only I am allowed to admire your ass sweetheart, not the other way around." he grinned. "And speaking of..." he said looking down to her jean clad legs and humming loudly. "Hey how much did you get those jeans for? You know if we go back to my place they're 100% off." 

Slamming his beer bottle down in front of him you rolled your eyes and walked away to go make a round of floor. 

Bouncing his knee under the bar he narrowed his eyes a bit at the man who had just so happen to sit the next seat down from him. He wouldn't say anything but he did seem to drink his beer a little faster than the others before. The man he had overheard someone call Keith made small talk with one of the other men and then spoke to Y/n's co-worker Trish. 

Collecting the money and empty glasses for the night you saw Trish move to wash up the tables. Walking back over to the bar you put the glasses in the sink to be washed in a minute. Looking up you saw Keith swallow down his drink.

"So y/n/n how has everything been? Did that bear cub make it?" he asked. 

Nodding you lifted your water bottle to your lips. "Yea, took him up to the park and got him settled in."

"Good. Happy for the little fella." he nodded. Taking another sip of his beer he twirled it around some, looking down before looking back to the woman. "You know dad told me about what happened the other day." he said and saw her look away. 

"Figures." you mumbled. 

"I gotta side with them this time baby, you gotta be more careful..."

"What was I supposed to do Keith? Just let them wreak your dad's bar?" you asked, quietly. 

"Don't get all worked up sweetheart, I ain't saying you did the wrong thing, hell I'm grateful you are willing to fight for this place, to put your neck out for my dad like that. I just... I don't want to see you get hurt in the process. You or Trish." he said and saw her look out across the bar. Sighing he finished off his drink. "You are too stubborn for your own good woman." he said as he stood pulling on his coat. 

Taking his bottle and tossing it in the trash you saw him pull out a bill and hand it over to you. "You sticking around for a bit? You know Mel could use your help around here." 

"Yea for a little while, I'll work out a schedule with dad and see if I can help out a few days." he told her. Seeing her nod he gave a smirk. "You know baby it's supposed to get real cold tonight, we might have to cuddle to keep warm." 

"I'd rather freeze." you told him and saw him smile and shake his head. 

"You'll come around one day." he said walking towards the door. "Hey cuz, give them babies love for me." 

"You need to come see them, they miss you." Trish replied. 

"Yea I will. Night ya'll." he said walking out of the bar. 

"Alright Mister we are closing so..."

"It's okay Trish he is with me. I can handle the rest if you want to head home." you told her and saw her nod and give a small smile. Turning to take Edwards empty glass you walked over to the sink to start washing them. 

Moving to the seat closer to the sink he saw the other girl leave, the bar now empty except for the two of them. "That Keith is a character isn't he?" he asked. Having been sitting so close he was able to hear their conversation. 

"Yes he is." you told him with a sigh.

"I take it he is the owner's son?" 

"Yea and Trish's cousin. The owner Mel is Garth's older brother." Placing mugs and glasses in the drying rack as you washed them you gave a yawn. 

"So then Trish is Garth's daughter?" 

"No she is his niece, Mel and Garth had a little sister named Kristy. She died a few years ago."

Humming he watched her, thinking about it all. "How many children does Trish have?"

"Three girls and a boy on the way." you grinned. 

"Seems she has her hands full." he chuckled.

Smiling you nodded, "Yes she does. Her husband helps out though, he works at the lumber yard and watches the girls once he gets home so Trish can come to work." 

Humming he saw her turn around and grin at him. 

"Ready to go?" you asked him. 

Nodding he stood and waited for her to come around the bar before walking out with her. By the time they had gotten back to her home it had really gotten cold. As soon as they were inside he saw her go towards the back to grab some wood and moved to help her. Bringing in an armful of wood he took the lighter from her trembling hands. "Go take you a hot shower darling, I'll get the fire going." he told her. 

"Thank you." you told him and saw him smile down at you.

Watching her walk away without giving him a fuss this time he grinned to himself and sat down in front of the wood heater to start a fire. Thinking to himself he thought about how it would be if he wasn't here. From what he figured she had said he had pieced together that she had been on her own since she was a teenager, fifteen at that. So all these years she had been doing everything on her own? No wonder the woman was so hell bent on doing everything herself. Well at least now he could offer her some help or at least until he went back to his own world... if he ever did. He had been trying to figure out if he would be able to but there wasn't much to go on. He wanted to go home, back to his family, wanted to be there for his sons but at the same time he didn't want to leave her. He was so torn, never before had he had to make this choice, he didn't want to have to choose between them and then what he was sure was his soulmate. Letting out a sigh he stared into the flames and closed his eyes. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments are greatly appreciated.


	7. Chapter 7

Pushing himself up from the bed he yawned as he walked to the bathroom across the dark hall to relieve his bladder. Turning off the lights and opening the door he scratched at his abdomen, walking back across the hall to go back to bed he stopped mid step when he saw something out of the corner of his eye. Looking to the living room floor he saw a shadow on the floor and quietly stepped over to the opening. His brows lowered when he saw what was causing the shadow. What was she doing? Feeling like something was off he slowly moved towards her. She was just sitting there on the floor, her knees pulled up to her chest and her arms wrapped around legs. There was a glass of what looked like that amber liquid in her one hand and her eyes were staring into the fire, a lost look on her face. She looked to only be wearing a pair of shorts and a t-shirt that was way too big, the neck hanging off one shoulder. "Darling?" he spoke in a low, deep voice. When she didn't acknowledge him whatsoever he kneeled down and placed his hand on her shoulder, "Y/n?" 

Snapped out of your thoughts you flinched at the thing touching you and quickly looked up to see Edward there beside you. 

"Whoa easy lass it's just me." he spoke when he saw how much he had startled her. Looking down into her e/c eyes he knit his brows at the look in them, something he had seen before on others but never her. Pain. Her eyes always held an immense kindness that made them shine, but this look, this dark cloud made her eyes dull and sad. It was a look he never wished to see in her beautiful e/c eyes again. 

"Ed?" you managed to say as your heart hammered in your chest. 

Furrowing his brows he sat down in front of her and glanced down to the short glass in her hand again. "What are you doing out here darling? It's the middle of the night." he asked. She hadn't had to work tonight and the two of them had went to be at the same time. Judging by her slightly messy hair he knew she had been asleep at some point. 

"I...I couldn't sleep." you said softly. Looking back to the fire you brought the rim of the glass to your lips and sipped at the strong whiskey. Closing your eyes you swallowed hard and dropped your eyes to the coals. "You should go back to sleep." you told him, not wanting to be seen like this. 

Lowering his brows he scanned his eyes over her balled up frame. He had never seen her legs before, well he had seen her in that bathing suit that one time but that had been from far away. Now though she was right here in front of him and he couldn't help from letting his eyes follow the lines of her body. Her skin looked smooth and he had to stop himself from reaching out to rub his hand up her leg. Seeing something on her ankle though he furrowed his brows and tilted his head trying to get a better look. Was that a tattoo? "I didn't take you for a tattoo type lass?" he said and saw her eyes look to him before looking down to the black ink on her bottom ankle. Seeing her turn her foot some he finally got to see it right and saw it to be a wave, a simple wave. 

"I got it when I turned eighteen." you told him, your voice still quiet. 

Humming he grinned softly. "What made you pick that?" he asked, wanting to help break her out of whatever state she was in. 

Licking your lips you took a breath, "I actually went in there to get a flower but... well something told me to get this one instead." you told him. 

Smiling he looked at it and wondered if possibly something deeper had pulled her towards the wave tattoo? "What flower were you going to get?" he asked. 

"I got a plum blossom..." you said as you moved to show him the other ankle where the small pinkish white flower decorated your skin. "...they mean..."

"Resilience." he finished with a soft grin and saw her a bit shocked by his knowledge of flowers before she grinned and nodded. 

"What about you?" you asked him, seeing his eyes snap up from your ankle to meet your eyes. Hearing him hum you twirled the amber liquid around your glass and brought it to your lips. "Any tattoos?" 

Taking a deep breath he moved to sit cross legged on the floor with his arms on his knees. "I did." he said and saw her tilt her head a bit. "Back before I came here, before I was young again I had one on my back." 

Nodding you rested your chin on your knees. "What was it?" 

"My jolly roger." 

"What color?" 

"Purple." he told her and smiled making her smile a bit too, that light starting to come back to her eyes. "I suppose I'll have to get it redone now though." he sighed. "Anymore for you?"

"One other."

"So three then? I have to say I am surprised darling." he chuckled and saw her grin. "What's this last one of then?"

"A crescent moon and stars." 

Humming he looked into her eyes. "And where is this one at?"

"No where anyone can see." you told him. 

Feeling his cheeks heat up a bit he rose his brows. 

"Sternum." 

Licking his lips he smiled and let out a huff. "You win." he said and heard her giggle before she turned to cover a yawn with her arm. Grinning softly he took her glass and stood, offering her his hand. "Time for bed lass. You need to sleep." 

Parting your lips as he took your glass and stood you looked up at him and then down to his hand when he offered it to you. Hearing him tell you it was time for bed you bit your lip and looked towards the fire, taking in a deep breath. While he was right it was way past time for be and you did need sleep, the dark circles around your eyes proof enough for that, you didn't want to, didn't want to deal with that again. 

Seeing her reluctant he knit his brows and went to speak but heard her let out long sigh before she took his hand and allowed him to help her up. "Darling if it's nightmares..."

Shaking your head you kept your eyes down. "Not nightmares." you told him. Taking the glass from him you placed it on the table to be dealt with tomorrow. 

Furrowing his brows he looked down at her. "Then what is it?" 

Closing your eyes you opened them slowly, "Memories." you mumbled. Not wanting to have that conversation you looked up to him and forced a small grin, "Thank you... for talking." 

Sighing when she again shut down he nodded, "Of course lass. Always here if you want to talk." he told her and saw her smile a little but not say anything else. "Goodnight y/n." 

"Goodnight." you said softly before going to your lonely room once again. 

...............................

"Hey girl, you're like a pinky toe, small, cute and I'd bang you on every piece of furniture I own." 

Closing your eyes for a second before you snapped them open and turned to glare a Keith who had just snuck up beside you, interrupting the conversation you and Edward were having. "What is wrong with you?" 

"I have a vitamin U deficiency." he said like it was nothing, a large smirk on his face. 

Shaking your head you rolled your eyes, "What are you even doing here?" 

"Working. Dad put me on the schedule tonight." he said, popping the cap off of a beer and taking a sip. "Good thing too cuz you look tired. You know we could always go in the back and you could sit on my face." 

He had been giving the boy a annoyed glare since he had first came over, standing so close to y/n and trying his pick up lines. Hearing the last one he was going to say something but before he could the boy had fallen over, letting out a pained groan as y/n walked away, grabbing the rag she used to wipe off tables. Watching as Keith slowly crumbled to the floor behind the bar he could easily guess what she had done and smirked, giving a small chuckle. Seeing a hand come up and start feeling around for the beer he rose a brow and moved to push the bottle towards his hand with the tip of his finger. "She's not going to fall for those you know?" he spoke to the man. 

"Work in progress man." Keith said in a strained voice. 

Humming he lifted his own beer to his lips, watching his lass out of the corner of his eye making his lips tug up and a warmth flood his chest. It was a busy night and he didn't get to talk to her much once the rush came in. After she had got them all served with the help of Keith who, to his surprise was actually a decently hard worker, she had came over to speak to him again. "Tonight is a busy night." 

"Yea, it's a Saturday so no one has to worry about going to work tomorrow with a hangover. It'll probably get worse." you told him. Going to give another beer he held up his hand and looked behind you.

"What's that there?" he asked looking to the green bottle on the shelf behind her. 

Looking to the shelf you rose your brows and pointed to the different ones until he nodded. "It's absinthe, otherwise known as the green fairy." 

"Why the green fairy?" 

"Because if you drink too much of it you'll see fairies." you giggled. "Want a shot?" you asked. 

Humming he saw her smile and sighed. "Sure. Only one though." Watching her place a shot glass on the bar and place a metal spoon of sorts over it and what looked like a cube of sugar he knit his brows. Watching as she poured the bright green liquor in the glass, melting the sugar cube he rose a brow. Once she removed the spoon and slid it over to him he took ahold of it. 

"Cheers." you grinned. 

Tossing the shot back he growled at the taste and placed the glass back down. "That is horrible." he huffed and saw her giggle. "You knew it was bad and still you let me suffer through it." 

Laughing you placed the bottle back up "You're the one who pointed it out."

"You could've told me it taste like shit." he chuckled. 

"Where's the fun in that?"

Shaking his head he looked to see Keith walking over again and rolled his eyes. 

"Trash. Play you for it." he said, holding out his hand. 

Watching her take the man's hand and thumb wrestle he noticed her beat him and the boy groan. 

"Fine. Be back in a minute." Keith told them. 

Getting an idea he grinned a little but wiped it off his face when she looked back to him. "What was that the two of you just did?" 

"Thumb wrestling? That's not a thing in your world?" you asked and saw him shake his head. "Okay well you have to pin the other person's thumb down for three seconds to win. 

Humming he held out his hand for her to take. Once her small hand was in his large one he grinned at the warming feeling that happened every time they touched. Letting her win the first time and then the second he held his chin in his hand and looked to her with a small grin. "How about we make this more interesting lass?" he asked and heard her hum. "Winner gets to ask the other a question." 

"Alright." Quickly pinning his thumb down you grinned. "What's your favorite color?" 

"Blue and purple." 

Winning again you thought on a question. "When is your birthday." 

"April 6th." he answered as he pinned her thumb. "What's your favorite season?" 

"mmmm Summer or spring." 

"Because you can swim." he said and saw her grin. On and on they went for a little while, learning more and more about each other until he pinned her one last time. "Tell me another one of the things on your bucket list." 

Caught off guard by that you bit your lip as you thought. "mmm.... touch a cloud." you said and continued looking at your hands, not wanting to see his face when he heard your stupid dreams. 

Smiling at that he looked at her, looked at the way she kept her eyes down. "That's a fine dream darling." he said and saw her eyes lift to his. 

Holding his stare for sometime, both of your thumbs no longer moving as he stroked the top of your hand with his you felt a sort of peace come over you. Hearing the door open and loud talking you snapped your eyes to the door and felt that serenity crumble away. It was them. 

Noticing the anxious, irritated look on her face he turned his head to the door and saw a group of four men standing there. It didn't take a genius to piece together they were the ones from that she had gotten into that fight with. When one of them smacked the other's abdomen and smirked in y/n's direction he clenched his teeth. Those were the men that had hurt her, his lass. There was one there, one that he was sure was the man that had her pinned to the truck that night. 

"Hey there kitten, how about bringing us up a round of beers." the one said as he and his friend headed upstairs to where the pool tables were. 

Feeling her hand slip from his he snapped his eyes back to her and saw her tense as she filled four mugs full of beer, slamming them down on the tray. Watching her go to walk away he grabbed her arm, looking into her eyes as she met his. "They start giving you trouble you let me know." he said and saw her look away. "Understand me?" he asked, his voice firm. Refusing to let her go he saw those big doe eyes lift to his again. When she nodded shortly he released his hold, letting his fingertips rub down her arm. Watching her the entire time she made her way up the stairs. Closing his eyes he tried to focus in on his observational haki, wanting to keep an eye on her. It was fuzzy, not as well trained as it had been but enough for him to be able to sense his lass. 

Y/n hadn't been lying when she said it was going to get worse. After the punks had been here for an few hours or so a few women joining them, making y/n constantly have to go up and down the stairs to wait on them he felt something off and held up a finger to Keith who he had been speaking with. The music was a bit loud but he could hear what sounded like arguing over top of it. He couldn't make out what they were saying but when a loud smack filled the air he and Keith both shared a look. A man suddenly rolling down the stairs and the sound of glass breaking, loud thumps on the floor above. 

"FUCKING CUNT!" 

In an instant he was out of his seat and running up the stairs with Keith right behind him. Getting to the top he saw something that made his blood boil. There was one man holding y/n as another stood in front of her, clenching her jaw. Her shirt was ripped down the front as well, the buttons scattered on the floor. Watching as she kicked her leg up, connecting with the man's jaw and spun around to start fighting the one that had been holding her he growled and moved forward, wrapping his hand around the man's neck and tossing him through the air into the wall. Easily blocking a punch thrown towards his face he grabbed the man's wrist and brought him forward at the same time he lifted his knee to connect with the man's stomach. Hearing as Keith took care of the man who had fallen down the stairs and went to join the fight. 

Slamming the woman that had ran to fight you face first into the pool table you looked to the other two, daring them to try you. Looking down to the man who you had quickly learned was the ring leader you saw him standing, his hand rubbing his jaw. He took one step towards you but then there was something in front of you. Looking up the broad back you saw his long blond hair flowing down his back to the bottom of his shoulder blades. 

Crossing his arms over his chest he stared down the punk who went to move towards y/n again. 

"Alright that's enough! All of you out now!" Keith spoke. Looking to the man he narrowed his eyes. "Don't any of you come back in this bar again." he told them in a deep voice. 

Huffing the man looked to all his crew and tilted his head towards the stairs. Looking back to the huge man standing in front of the woman he narrowed his eyes and smirked. Once everyone else was going down the stairs he started to move himself. Stopping to look to the woman he gave another smirk, "I'd be careful kitten, never know what might happen to a little thing like you when she's all by herself." 

Feeling his lip lift into a snarl he clenched his fists but had to quickly wrap his arm around y/n's waist when she went to pounce on the man yet again. 

"Last warning." Keith grit out.

Hearing the man let out a chuckle before he was stepping down the stairs, his eyes looking over y/n one last time to wink at her he tried calming his temper. Sharing a look with Keith he gave a nod and saw the man follow the group downstairs to make sure they left. Holding Y/n still he heard her telling him to let her go, that she was going to kick their ass he grinned. Knowing he would need to calm her down some he moved over to the only chair left standing and sat in it, pulling the little woman onto his lap. "Now you just calm down lass." He had had many women sit in his lap before but she was by far his favorite, of course it would be better if she was relaxed and not still trying to wiggle out of his hold. She had no chance of getting away from him but he found her fiery temper adorable and also a turn on. "You are quite the little spitfire when provoked aren't you darling?" he chuckled. 

Trying one last time and not even feeling it faze him at all you gave up on your fight and let out a huff through your nose. Your blood was pumping so hard you could hear it in your ears.

Feeling her finally relax he grinned, keeping his arm where it was for the time being. His skin was touching hers where her shirt was ripped open and his sleeve was rolled up and he couldn't help from imagining what it would be like to have her skin on his. He could feel from his haki as Keith began shutting down the bar for the night. Slowly the only sound heard was that of the music and the light clinking of glasses being gathered. 

_"...No one like you_   
_I can't wait for the nights with you_   
_I imagine the things we'll do_   
_I just want to be loved by you_

_Girl, there are really no words strong enough_   
_To describe all my longing for love_   
_I don't want my feelings restrained_   
_Oh babe, I just need you like never before_   
_I just imagine you'd come through this door_   
_You'd take all my sorrow away..."_

You were so angry you didn't even realize what you were sitting on or rather who you were sitting on until you had calmed down some. Feeling something firm under you, a warmth around your middle made you look down to the thick, strong forearm wrapped casually around your waist and resting on your thighs. Instantly you felt your eyes go a but wide, your cheeks, neck and ears set aflame. Swallowing hard you slowly moved to slide off his thick thigh, feeling his arm steady you. 

Sighing as she stood he saw her move and when she turned back to him he saw her trying to hold together her torn shirt, her eyes cast down and a blush on her cheeks. 

Licking your lips you glanced to him. "Thank you... for all of that." you said, waving your one free hand out. When he remained quiet you looked back down and then moved to start cleaning up the mess, holding your shirt together with one hand. 

Standing he unbottoned his own shirt and stepped over to her. "Put this on lass." 

Feeling something get draped across your shoulders looked and saw it was his shirt. Shaking your head you went to give it back to him when he pulled it tighter around you, looking into your eyes with those warm yellow ones. 

Stroking her jaw with his thumb he gave a grin and then started setting up the knocked over tables and chairs. 

Blinking as he stepped away you felt an spreading warmth in your chest and what felt like butterflies in your stomach. That feeling stayed long after you had gotten back home and curled up in your bed. Thinking on everything, all of those growing feelings you bit your lip. No. No you couldn't do this, you couldn't get feelings, you couldn't get attached. You couldn't because if you did it would end like it always did, with a broken heart. 

.......................................

Searching the entire house for the giant of a man you didn't find him anywhere. Furrowing your brows, you rubbed the back of your arm. Had he left? Hearing a thump from above and then a banging your furrowed brows turned into that of a more confused look. Walking to the door you slipped on your boots and headed outside. Walking around you saw large tracks in the snow and followed them to the side of the house where the ladder from the barn was leaned up against the side. Lifting your eyes up you finally found him. "What are you doing?" 

Hearing her voice he looked down at the ground to see her looking up at him. "What are you doing out here with no coat on, you're going to get sick woman." 

Rolling your eyes you saw him lift the hammer he had again. Walking to the ladder you made it to the second step before he spoke again. 

"Go back in the house." 

"You haven't answered my question yet." 

"I fixing the roof now go back inside where it's warm." 

"Ed you don't have to...ahhh.... you ass." Brushing off the snow he had pushed down onto you heard him chuckling from above. 

"In the house darling." he told her and this time he watched her make her way back towards the backdoor, hearing her mumbling all the way. "Stubborn woman." he said with a grin before going back to fixing the leaking roof. Once he was done with that and splitting a few logs for their fire he was hit by a pleasant smell as the door opened. Shutting the door behind him he took off his boots and the new coat she had bought him, hanging it up ont he hook beside hers. Walking towards the kitchen he smiled at the sight that greeted him. 

Finishing up the honey butter you moved to grab the bowls and start the tea. Turning back around you laddeled some of the soup into each bowl. Going to carry them over to the table you let out a small yelp at seeing him standing in the doorway. "God, how is someone as big as you so quiet?" you asked. 

Chuckling he moved into the room. "Years of practice darling." Looking to the steaming bowls of soup and then to the homemade rolls on the counter he hummed, "Do I get a good supper like this everytime I fix something? If so I'll need to see that to-do list of yours." he grinned and saw her smile. 

"You don't worry about my to-do list. You didn't have to fix the roof, I would have gotten to it myself." 

"I know you would have but I've told you before lass, I want to help you." he said, moving to stand right behind her as she poured their tea. He resisted the urge to reach out and wrap his arms around her, to hold her, as much as he wanted to he knew she wasn't ready for that.

"Well thank you." you said, turning around to hand him the cups to take over to the table while you grabbed the rolls and butter. 

After supper they had sat down to watch a movie on the TV. While the movie was interesting, something called The Heart of the Sea, he couldn't keep his eyes from falling to his side where she sat beside him. It would be so easy for him to just drop his arm from the back of the couch and pull her into his side but he wouldn't make her uncomfortable. Turning his head to let out a yawn he settled back into the couch and forced his eyes back to the movie, wondering if she shared this feeling of connection. Closer to the end of the movie he felt something on his side and dropped his eyes down to see she had fallen asleep. The corner of his lip pulled upwards at the sight of her head on his side. Holding completely still he watched as she slowly curled up against him, her knees pulling up some to lean on his thigh. Easing his arm down to hold her to him he looked back to the screen to finish out the movie about the whale that had the same name as his ship. Once the movie was over and the screen turned black he continued sitting there, enjoying this closeness and the warmth it caused in his heart. Not wanting her neck to ache in the morning he sighed before scooping her up to carry her to bed. She woke halfway at one point but with a deep sushing from him, telling her he had her and it was okay she relaxed and laid her head back on his shoulder. Tucking her into bed, he tended to the fire and then headed to his own bed, his last thoughts being of the woman he was falling in love with. 

...................................

Poking at the coals he started stacking pieces of wood onto the fire, blowing on it softly to help bring the fire back to life. He had said he was only going to lay down for a moment, hoping his horrible headache would ease off but when he woke up it was pitch dark in the house. Not wanting his lass to be cold when she got home he began working on the fire. All day he had been feeling off, going irritated by the littlest things. Y/n had had to go in early today to bring in stock and clean the bar and she had told him she wouldn't be home until later in the night. With Trish being out for pregnancy issues, Keith and her would have to handle the bar tonight. Finally getting the fire going good he shut the door on the wood stove and went to make himself something to eat. 

Sticking a fork full of food in his mouth he stared out the window at the what looked to be blizzard outside. Bouncing his knee he let out a deep sigh and reached for his cup of hot tea when a sharp pain stuck his chest. Dropping his cup to the table he groaned and clenched his chest. What the hell? Was he having another heart attack? The sensation didn't much ease off and he wondered for a moment what was going on but then this overbearing feeling came over him and he snapped his eyes back open. "Y/n." Something was wrong he knew it. Standing abruptly from the table he hurried to the door and shoved his feet in his shoes, yanking on his coat and slamming the door shut behind him as he ran from the house and out into the snow. 

It had been a busy day as far as the stock and cleaning went but slow as far as costumers. No one probably wanted to go out in this weather, you would have to take your time going home for sure. Going to the back to put on your coat and grab your things you stuffed your notebook in your coat pocket along with your charger and headphones. Patting your back pocket to make sure your phone was there you nodded. Locking the stock room you froze when you heard a slam.

"Hey we... GET THE FU...AHHH!"

A loud gunshot echoed through the bar. Running out to the front you saw the door wide open and ran back to the office but skidded to a stop in the hallway when yuo saw Keith Laying on the floor with blood pooling from his lower right pelvis. "Keith!?" you yelled, running over to him. "Keith what..."

"Those fuckin' pricks...akha... oh shit...." he cursed through gritted teeth, putting his hand over the bleeding wound on his pelvis. 

Snapping your eyes to the open safe and then the wide open back door you breathed heavily and grit your teeth, pushing yourself up and running out after them. "Call for help!"

"No!! Y/n!" 

Ignoring him you ran outside to see them trying to get away. "You fucking low lifes!" you yelled. Seeing the back tires on their truck do nothing but spin in the snow you ran towards the truck, hell bent on getting Mel's money back. You knew who the thieves were, the same one who Keith kicked out last weekend, the same ones who kept causing trouble. When the leader looked to you and then back to the truck he quickly grabbed the bag full of what you knew had to be the money they had just stole and took off towards the woods. "Give me back the money asshole!" you growled, running after him. 

Seeing red and blue flashing lights on the top of a truck pulling up to the bar the same time as he got there he hurried inside the thrown open door. Snapping his eyes around he heard yelling from outside and then a groaning from the back. Running back that way he saw Keith slouched back against the wall beside a open safe, his pants and lower shirt stained red and his hand holding down the bloody area on his pelvis. His face looked very pale and he knew the boy was bleeding to death. Hurrying over he grabbed the hung up curtains and snatched them down, balling them up and pressing them over the gunshot wound. "Keith? Keith, wake up." he demanded. 

"KEITH! Y/N!?" 

Turning around he saw Garth running over, his eyes shooting to him and then down to his nephew. "He needs help now." he told the older man. 

"I need an ambulance at Mel's now!" Garth spoke into his radio.

"Keith where is y/n?" he asked the boy who just barely had his eyes open. 

"Sh...she ran af..after em... I..tried to.. stop er'..." Keith spoke in a weak voice. 

Breathing heavily he stood and looked to Garth, "Keep pressure on that wound." was all he said before high tailing out of the bar. Looking around he saw the back parking lot empty except for y/n and keith's trucks. There were tire tracks in the snow and footprints but he didn't see anyone. Using his haki he couldn't sense anyone either, they were too far away but he could feel that pull in his chest and decided to follow it. 

Running after the man you panted, your lungs burning in the frigid air, the blizzard making it hard to see more than ten feet in front of you. Dodging round trees and rocks you fell to your hands when the incline got steep. Wincing at the cut you knew the rocks had made you ignored it and pushed your self up, seeing him having trouble as well. Getting to the top of the hill you pushed your legs, catching up to him you grabbed his shirt and tackled him to the ground. Rolling to the ground with him you heard him growl and then felt a hard hit to your cheek.

"You are one feisty bitch I will give you that." he huffed.

Snarling you kicked your leg out, knocking him off of you. Getting on top you threw a punch to his jaw and heard him let out a loud roar before he grabbed hold of your hair and yanked you to the ground, slamming the back of your head to the rocky ground. Dazed and disoriented you whimpered and tried to scratch at his hand to get him to let your hair go, feeling a burning pain in your scalp. 

Smirking he continued holding the woman's hair in his left hand, using it to also hold up his weight as he moved to straddle her waist. "Not so tough now are you whore?"

Yelling out you tried to hit him, scratch him, do anything you could to get him off of you but he only chose to let go of your hair in order to pin your hands above your head. hearing a ripping and then feeling the cold air on your chest you started to panic. 

Chuckling he looked down at her bra covered breasts, smiling when he saw the tattoo between them. "Nice tits sweetheart."

Spitting in his face you saw his smirk fall and be replaced by an angry glare. Before you could react his hand had smacked you across the face and you felt something leak into your eye. Blood. Stunned by the hit you felt him move and tried to blink away the blood dripping down into your eye. 

Moving down her body some he licked his lips and started tugging at her belt and button to undo her jeans. 

Feeling him unfasten your pants and start trying to pull them down you felt your heart hammer in your chest. "NO! NO!" you screamed. 

"God shut up!" he snarled, gripping her hair and slamming her head down on the ground again. 

Kicking your legs and pulling on your hands as hard as you could you felt tears fill your eyes. You were running out of energy. Hearing the clicking of his own buckle you let out a scream and then suddenly, he was off of you. Looking up you saw Edward standing there, his hand wrapped around the man's throat, holding him up off the ground. "E..Ed..." 

Looking back down to her when she whimpered his name he saw her clothes ripped off of her and knew immediately what this man had tried to do. Gritting his teeth when he saw the tears rolling down her cheeks he turned back to the man just as the punk threw his fist. 

Hitting the huge man in the jaw he quickly kicked between his legs. Hearing him grunt and his grip loosen he grabbed his knife from his pocket and stabbed it into the man's forearm. 

"Ahh!" he yelled, his grip loosening on the man enough to let him slip out. Seeing a knife embedded into his forearm he went to look back up when the man punched him in the jaw. Throwing his own fist he punched the man in the gut. 

Growling he ran towards the large man, knocking him backwards into the large boulders. Grabbing a rock he hit the man in the side of the temple and panted for air. He could hear more sirens now and knew he had to get out of here. "I'm gonna handle you the ol' fashion way." 

Still in a slight panic you watched the two of them, the man stabbing Edward in the arm. When he stepped back and pulled a gun from his back you gasped. Seeing him aim it at Edward you scrambled to your feet. "NO!"

Hearing y/n yell and then a gunshot he sucked in a breath, his eyes snapping open and his eyes falling to her. As soon as he saw the blood running down her chest and dripping onto her abdomen he was consumed by an incredible rage. Snapping his eyes up to the man he saw him point the gun to him. He didn't have time however to fire his next shot before he grabbed his wrist and twisted it, the bone snapping like a twig. 

"Ahhh!" he screamed when he felt his arm break. 

Pulling his fist back he activated his devil fruit powers and held the man still as he hit him square in the face. Watching as his body was thrown backwards he saw the man go to stand up on the edge of what looked like a small cliff. Moving his powers to his foot he stomped his left foot down onto the ground, making it shake and the rocky ground crack. He watched with a smirk as the man looked to him and then around him with fear filled eyes until the ground gave way and broke off the edge of the cliff he was standing on. Listening to him scream for only a few seconds it was taken over by a loud rumble of the rocks hitting the ground below. 

Turning back towards y/n he stepped over to her and saw her eyes closed tightly, a look of pain on her face. Kneeling beside her he looked to her bare chest and saw her trembling hand over the gunshot wound, blood covering her front and leaking through her fingers. Ripping his shirt off he pressed it down on the wound. "Foolish damn woman." he muttered under his breath. 

Opening your eyes some to look up at him you saw him staring down at you with what looked like worry on his face. "Th...thank y...you..." you stuttered out before you started coughing. 

Seeing her cough up blood he swallowed hard. "Thank me when you're not bleeding out lass." he grunted roughly. Grabbing his discarded coat he tossed it on her and pushed his hands under her knees and back to lift her up. 

Whimpering you turned your face towards his bare chest. Your body was freezing but he was offering you a little warmth. It was getting harder to breath, you tried to hold back your cough but it didn't work and you felt more blood fill your mouth.

Walking through the forest he looked down at her and saw her eyes close. "No. Y/n you look at me, keep your eyes open." he told her, hearing her let out a weak whine he felt his lip twitch. "That's an order woman." 

"Ya.... gonna make mmmmee walk the plank i...if I don'tttt cap...tain?" 

Huffing he swallowed hard. "No lass, you'd like it too much." he said and saw her flushed bloody lips lift the smallest amount in an attempted smile. Continuing to walk through the thick snow for a few more moments he quickly looked back down when he felt her hand that hand been on his chest slide down. "No... y/n wake u..." he didn't get to finish his sentence as he stepped wrong and fell to the ground, holding her in his arms as the tumbled down the hill. Quickly holding his weight off of her he looked down at her, seeing her completely limp. Panicking he lifted her up again and pushed himself to stand but when he looked around them he froze. There was no more snow, no more dense trees or strong wind. In fact it wasn't even cold anymore. Turning his head he saw green grass shining with a bit of dew in the full moon light. Coniferous trees grew every so often along with shrugs that had flowers on them. Seeing a tall mountain and rolling hills he felt his breath hitch in his throat. He knew this place, he'd know it anywhere. He was home. Snapping out of his thoughts he looked back down to the seemingly lifeless woman in his arms and took off running towards the town, hoping and praying his son was there.


	8. Chapter 8

Running towards the hidden entrance to the town behind the waterfall he held y/n tightly to his chest. Looking to the homes he saw all the lights off and knew most were probably sleeping. Refusing to stop he ran as fast as he could to where his home was. Coming up on the hill he saw another smaller home built not too far from it. Using his haki he felt a bit of relief come over him at the familiar presence. "MARCO!" Getting to the door he saw it was small, about half his height, he was back to his old size. "MARCO!" he called again. Seeing a light turn on from inside the window he breathed heavily. As soon as the door opened he looked down to see his son rubbing his eye.

"What the hell is..." Marco asked in a sleepy voice, dropping his hand and looking out his door. Seeing nothing but legs he craned his neck to gaze up at the tall man. Knitting his brows and blinking a few times he snapped his eyes around. Long blond hair, same warm yellow eyes, huge as hell but younger? Way younger. "H..how... I...I don't.... Pops?" 

"I don't have time to explain now son. I need your help. I need you to help her." Seeing his son still frozen he grit his teeth. "Marco now!" he yelled and saw the man snap out of it. 

"Right. Okay." he said firmly more to himself than the man who resembled his late father. "Go take her to your home and I'll grab my things." 

"Marco honey? What is it?" a feminine voice said from behind him. 

Glancing behind his son he saw a woman standing there, wearing nothing but a nightgown. While he was intrigued about who this young woman was he didn't have time right now. Hurrying over to his home he was happy to find his door unlocked, the large wooden door slamming back against the wall as he pushed his way inside. Turning on the lights he moved to his own bedroom and placed her down on the dusty bed. Standing back up to look down at her he took in her size compared to the large bed and knit his brows. Hearing feet running towards them he saw Marco come up beside him and start looking y/n over. When he pulled back the coat and her ripped shirt he saw the bleeding gunshot wound on the right side of her chest, just over her breast and swallowed hard. 

"I need to get her shirt off so I can see if the bullet went the whole way through." Pulling out a knife he started cutting away the blood soaked shirt. 

Helping sit her up and pull off her coat and shirt he tossed them to the side to be taken care of later. Seeing no wound on her back he knew the bullet was still in her. Laying her back down gently he watched as Marco checked her pulse and heartbeat. 

"Her heartbeat is faint. She needs a blood transfusion or she'll be dead in minutes." the doctor said and saw as the large man moved to sit on the floor by the bed table, holding out his arm. "You don't know if ..." 

"I do. I am." 

Nodding he quickly grabbed the things he needed and stepped in front of his father. Finding a vein quickly he shoved the needle in. As soon as the red liquid of life started filling the bottle he stepped back over to the woman on the bed to get her hooked up as well. 

Sitting back against the wall he watched quietly as Marco worked on saving his lass's life. The woman from before had come over soon after he hooked Y/n up to an IV and she gave him a look before moving beside Marco and speaking to him. He heard her weak whimpers and cries as the doctor started digging for the bullet still lodged in her chest and it sent a sharp pain through his chest. The woman who he had overheard Marco call Zella helped in holding y/n down for the painful procedure. Once it was out he saw the bright blue flames come from his hand that pressed over Y/n's wound. 

Healing her as much as he could with his powers he grabbed his supplies to start stitching the wound close. Wrapping the wound in bandages he looked over her other injuries to start on them. 

After a good two hours he heard Marco let out a sigh and step away from the bed to turn to him. "She should be just fine." he told the younger version of his pops. Looking behind him he rose his chin. "Zel, go get some stuff an clean her up will ya?"

Seeing the woman nod and make her way out of the room he looked back to see Marco looking at him with lowered brows. 

"How? I don't understand how you are here. You died, Ace died, we buried you both..."

"It's complicated..."

"I don't care tell me. Tell me how you just show up here, alive and young after almost two damn years." 

"Two years?" he repeated, his face falling and his eyes going a bit wide. Seeing Marco's face serious he took a deep breath and tried to take it all in. He had only been in Y/n's world for almost two months but it had been near two years here? Looking back up to Marco he saw the woman return with her arms full of different things. Noticing the bathing supplies and such he stood and walked over to his dresser. Taking out one of his few shirts he held it out for the woman to take. "It'll be big on her but it will work for now." he said and saw her nod, a kind smile on her face. Glancing back to y/n one last time he swallowed hard and walked out, hearing Marco follow behind him. 

....................................

All the while Zella who he learned was his son's wife, cleaned y/n he had told Marco everything as Marco took care of the stab wound on his forearm that he had forgotten about. He told him how he had washed up on the shore of the lake and how y/n had found him. He told him how when he had woken up he was somehow young again. Telling him about y/n and her world Marco stayed quiet through it all, ever the clam and collected one. Refusing to hold anything back from him he also spoke to him about the strong connection the two had towards each other. Lastly he spoke to him about the events that had just occurred before the two of them had been sent back here. 

"She is your soulmate then?"

Humming he grinned. "Yes."

"Does she know that?" 

Taking a deep breath he let it out in a long sigh, "No. I don't believe they are a thing in her world." 

Nodding Marco looked to where Whitebeard's bedroom was, thinking about the woman who had all in all saved her father's life. "So what is she like, Y/n?" he asked and couldn't help but grin when he saw the way his father smiled. 

"Oh she is kind, so very kind and quiet. She's a hardworking woman but she never complains. She also has a temper as well though." he said with a chuckle at the end but then felt his smile fall away some. "But... she's been hurt before. I don't exactly know how, she hasn't opened up to me yet and I haven't pushed her on it." huffing a bit he looked to the blond and smiled, "You'll like her though, she's been making me take vitamins and eat more healthy." 

"She's a keeper." 

Laughing he smiled and leaned back into the chiar. "Now, tell me, what's happened since I died." 

Rubbing the back of his neck he looked into the large yellow eyes and started relaying the events from the last 19 months. He told him about how the crew and some others, along with Shanks buried both him and Ace. Then he told him about the payback war they had had with Blackbeard and his crew. Admitting the defeat he grit his teeth. and bounced his knee. "We all disbanded after that. With Teach and his crew, then the World Government after us I thought it would be best if we went our own ways.... I didn't want to do it but..."

Sighing he crossed his arms over his chest and shook his head. "It's alright son, I understand. You did the right thing." 

"It get's worse." Seeing his father look back to him he blinked slowly, "Because of Teach beating us the World Government named him the new Emperor."

"What?" 

Nodding Marco saw the man's massive muscles flex. 

"What about Ace's brother, that strawhat runt?" 

"Luffy. I don't know, no one has heard anything from him since a about a week after the war. He showed up at Marineford again with both Jinbe and Rayleigh..."

"Rayleigh?"

"Yep. Luffy didn't attack anyone or start any trouble. All he did was go up and ring the OX bell before taking off his hat. There were many pictures taken of him, it was put on the front page. After that he left and no one has seen him or any of his crew since."

Humming he lowered his brow in thought. He didn't think the boy was giving up, not from all the stories Ace had told him. Before anything else could be said he heard the door open and looked towards his bedroom to see Zella walking out with a y/n's clothes in her arms. 

"I cleaned her up as best I could. There was a place on the back of her head that i don't think you saw but I cleaned it and bandaged it as well." Zella told her husband who nodded. 

"I'm going to go take a look at it real quick." 

Watching his son walk out of the room he looked to the young woman and saw her smile at him. "Well hello my dear. I hear you are my son's wife." 

Nodding Zella looked to the large man. "Yes. It's so nice to be able to meet you, Marco has told me all about you. I don't understand exactly how you are here but I am happy nonetheless. Marco and the rest of your children missed you dearly." 

Grinning he hummed. "I missed them as well. I do hope you are taking good care of my boy... not making it too easy for him though right?" he asked and heard her chuckle lightly. 

"Not at all." she assured him. Remembering something she held out the items she had found in the woman's clothing. "Here you go, I found these in her clothes, I don't think they would do well in the wash." 

Taking the items Zella handed over he saw y/n's phone, notebook and a few other items. 

"Of course. I am going to wash her pants and other clothes but I am afraid her shirt is past the point of repair."

"Thank you dear." Seeing her nod as Marco walked back out he looked to him. 

"Yea that's a nice sized bump on her head, it's got a small gash as well but not enough for stitches. She may have a slight concussion and her head will probably ach for a few days once she wakes. Nothing some herbal tea won't help though. Still once she wakes she will need to take it easy, she did lose a lot of blood." 

Nodding he stood and saw Marco cover a yawn. "You both should get back to bed." 

"Sounds good. If you need me you know where to find me. I'll be back over to check on her in the morning." he told him and saw him nod. Looking up to his father he smiled "Goodnight pops." 

Grinning he kneeled down to hug his son, "Goodnight my son." Watching them both leave he set the items down on the table and moved towards his bedroom. The light was off but with the light from the living room he could still see fairly well. Walking over to the bed he looked down at her and saw wrapped up under the covers. She had bandages on her cheek and wrapped around her head, he could also make out the light bruise on her lip and jaw. Her skin was still flushed but not as much as it was. Dropping his eyes to her chest he could only see so much with the blankets pulled up to just under her shoulders but he knew she was wearing his shirt. The white fabric looked more like a sheet on her than anything with the first few buttons undone and some of the bandages peeking out. The slowly rise and fall of her chest told him she was sleeping soundly and he let out a sigh of relief. If Marco hadn't been here then there was no doubt in his mind that she wouldn't have made it, the very thought making his heart clench. Threading his fingers through her hair he heard a small groan and noticed her lashes fluttering a bit, her brows knitting together in discomfort. Crouching down beside the bed he continued stroking her hair and then her unmarked cheek with his thumb. "Yer alright lass, go back to sleep darling." 

Hearing the deep, comforting voice you relaxed and did as it commanded. 

Seeing her drift back off he grinned. Standing back up he tugged the covers up over her a bit more before going back out to the living room. Looking towards the couch he gave a sigh and rubbed the back of his head. While there was plenty of room for both of them on his bed he didn't want to risk making her uncomfortable or worse hurting her. So couch it was. Turning off the light he walked over to the old sofa and layed down on it, his feet hanging off the side. 

.................................

Groaning giving a whimper when your whole body seemed to ache you slowly lifted your hand to your face to rub your eyes. Feeling a bandage and then another one you knit your brows and then started attempting to open your eyes. At first they instantly closed from the bright light but after a little bit you managed to get them open and take a glance around the room you were in. First thing you noticed was the ceiling, it was wooden with large beams running along it. Turning your head to the walls you saw them to be made of what looked like plaster, the trim and door made of the same wood as the beams along with the floor. The room itself was of nice size with a dresser, side table and the huge bed you were laying in. It had to be a California king with white sheets and deep blue bedding. Seeing a window on the far wall with white curtains you tilted your head a bit at the view outside. From where you laid you could see what looked like bright green grass and a large mountain in the far landscape, a clear blue sky above. Just where the hell were you?

Thinking back to the last thing you remembered you recalled the incident at the bar, those men, they had robbed the place and then you had taken off after the man. The two of you were fighting and then he... he tried to... he was going to rape you but he hadn't. Edward had shown up, he had saved you. Then him and the man had fought and the guy had pulled a gun. He was going to shoot Edward so you jumped in the way. Glancing down to your chest you pulled the large shirt... gown, whatever it was away some and saw bandages there. You had been shot. Your memory went a bit fuzzy after that. You could remember Edward yelling, the other man screaming and then the ground shook but then Ed was there. He was holding you and he was so warm, you could hear his heartbeat and then nothing. 

Letting out a long breath you laid your head back on the pillow and thought. Had you been taken to some hospital? You had never heard of any hospitals that looked like this. Blinking you decide to go find out what was going on. Trying to sit up you bit your lip to muffle your cry as every injury on your body seemed the throb. Sitting up on the bed you were overcome with a coughing fit and covered your mouth with one elbow while the other hand moved to clutch your chest. Whimpering when your head felt like it was going to split into you closed your eyes tight, your face scrunching up in pain. Once you had gotten a bit used to the pain you opened your eyes and looked around the room again. Dropping your eyes to your own body you knit your brows and lifted the large shirt hanging on your body. It was way too big but it didn't look like a gown and... sniffing it you leaned back some, you knew that scent. Was he here, was he okay? Going to stand up from the bed you heard one of the two doors open and froze. Looking up you saw a man come walking into the room but there was something off about him. Why was he so small? He had blond hair on the top of his head and when he looked up to you, you saw he had glasses on as well. Was he a dwarf? 

"Oh. We weren't expecting you to be up so soon." Marco said to the woman with a smile. Walking over to her he looked up to her, "Pops will be happy. I'm Marco by the way." 

Marco, Edward's son? How was he here? Had he somehow been teleported to your world too? Licking your dry lips you looked down to the man. "Hello. I'm y...y/n." you told him, your voice cracking a bit.

"Yes I know, the big man has been talking about you nonstop all day." he chuckled. 

"Edward is here?" 

"Yea, well not here, he went to grab a few things from town but he should be back soon. In the meantime though I'd like to check over your injuries." Stepping forward some he saw her a tad bit uncomfortable and grinned softly. "It's okay, I'm a doctor." 

Nodding you tried to relax some "I know Ed talks about you a lot as well." 

"Hopefully good things." he smiled. 

Sitting still as Marco did his exam you listened to him tell you the extent of all your injuries and that you would have to take it easy for the next week. Rubbing your face you sighed, "I have to call work and tell them..."

Rubbing the back of his neck he looked off to the side, "Ah yea well about that..." He didn't get to finish his sentence as he heard a door shut and then the footsteps coming towards the room. 

Seeing him look towards the door you followed his eyes as it opened, standing in the frame was him, "Edward?"

Looking over to the bed his face split into a large smile when he saw his lass awake and sitting up. "Y/n darling you're awake." 

"Yep, doing good too. She should be able to get up and move about a bit but nothing too exerting." Marco told them. 

"I'll make sure of it." Grinning and giving a nod he saw Marco look to the flowers in his hand and raise his brows. 

"Well I am going to head out. I'll get Zel to bring over your clothes." 

"Thank you." you told the small man and saw him nod as he turned to walk by Edward, only coming up to the man's knee. Hearing another door shut you looked back to Ed and saw him move towards you. 

Holding out the bouquet of white flowers he smiled and rubbed the back of his neck. "Here ya go lass." 

Looking down at the daffodils you felt a warmth in your chest that flowed up to your cheeks. Smiling softly you reached out to take them from him. "Thank you Ed." Observing the beautiful flowers you smiled, there was even a purple ribbon tied around them and already you could smell their pleasant scent. Raising your eyes back to him you saw him only looking down at you with a soft smile. 

Moving to sit on the bed beside her he took a deep breath, "You know you had me scared there for a moment darling. I didn't know if you were going to make it." he said, looking down and feeling his lip twitch. Looking up to meet her eyes he glanced to the bruises and cuts on her face. "You took a bullet for me and while I am grateful I don't ever want you to do something like that again." seeing her brows knit he shook his head when he saw her go to speak. "No. You are never to put yourself in danger like that again. Promise me y/n." 

Taking a deep breath you said nothing and saw his brows lower. 

"Y/n." he grunted.

"I can't make a promise that I don't know I will be able to keep." you said softly and saw his hand move up to rub his face and pinch the bridge of his nose. 

"You have to be the most stubborn women I have ever met." he grumbled. 

Giggling a little you grinned and smelled at the flowers. "I'll take it as a compliment." seeing him give you a small glare, making you smile more he shook his head. Looking towards the window again you saw rolling green hills with a few other homes or buildings here and there. This didn't look like anywhere in Montant you had ever seen. Knitting your brows you took another look around the room that now you thought about it looked more like a bedroom. Seeing a white hat sitting on the dresser with yellow trim and what looked like a pirate symbol on the front you also noted the other personal items here and there throughout the room. Before you knew it you heart started beating a little faster. "Umm Ed.... where are we?"


	9. Chapter 9

Holding your face in your hands you tried to even out your breathing. "How is this even possible?" you asked to no one in particular. How the hell did you get sent to another world, his world. "I am so incredibly fucked." you grumbled. You had nothing, you were here with nothing. No money, no clothes, no knowledge of anything other than what Ed had told you. Not to mention from what he had told you you would be lucky to survive a week in this world. You were going to die, no doubt about it. "What the hell am I going to do?" 

Standing there he watched her bury her face in her hands. She was mumbling to herself and while he couldn't make out exactly what she was saying he did catch a little of it. He understood what she was feeling, what she was thinking and he only furrowed his brows when he saw her shoulders curl up. Sighing he moved to crouch down in front of her. "Y/n." he called but she didn't look at him. "Lass look at me." When she only peeked at him from between her fingers he dipped his head some. "It's going to be okay." when she only groaned and covered her eyes again he reached up to take her slender wrists and pull them away from her face. "Darling I am not going to let anything happen to you." 

Looking down at his large hands holding your smaller ones you started to feel a little more calm. Closing your eyes you sighed softly, "What am I supposed to do now?" 

Hearing how soft her voice had become he gave a gentle squeeze of her hands. "Well the first thing we are going to do is let you get cleaned up, Zella did the best she could but I know you would probably like a hot shower. Then once you are all clean we are going to get you something to eat." 

Raising your eyes back to his you saw those warm yellow eyes looking at you like they always did. There was a strong feeling in you, a feeling to do something but you quickly shoved it back into the corner where it had came and simply nodded. Standing was a little shaky at first and your head throbbed but Ed had been there to hold you steady and help you to his bathroom. He had grabbed a towel for you and placed out a pile of clothes for you on the vanity. 

"Zella washed your clothes and managed to get the blood out of them but your shirt wasn't worth saving so you can just wear one of mine until we can get you some."

Nodding and thanking him you saw him give you another soft smile before he left you to bathe, telling you to call for him if you needed anything or felt lightheaded. Left alone in the bathroom you looked around and saw it had much of the same look as the bedroom with wooden ceilings and plaster walls. The floor itself was made out of grey stone. There was a large soaking tub on one wall and a huge shower on the back wall made of the same stone as the floor. The vanity was wood with the sink stone as well. Overall it was very cape cod slash rustic looking but in a way that looked homy and warm. You were surprised even more to find it clean, you had always heard men were messy, even the toilet was clean. Then again you shouldn't be surprised while living with you he had kept everything clean. Taking a deep breath you walked over to the shower and turned on the water. Removing the shirt that you now knew to be his you saw a bit of blood on it and knit your brows, you would have to try and get that out later. Finding your underwear had been removed you felt your cheeks heat up but blinked and reminded yourself that this Zella had washed them for you. Hopefully she had been the only one in the room when you had been stripped. Removing your bandages you winced at the sight of the stitched up wound on your chest, how appealing. Sighing you stepped under the hot water and started your routine. 

Getting out and dressing in your clothes with Ed's borrowed shirt you looked down and saw how large the thing was on you. Biting your lip you tilted your head and and buttoned it down to almost the end, leaving the first two undone. Twisting it up some you tied them into a small knot and gave a nod. Wasn't necessary your style but at least now it didn't look like you were wearing a sheet. Running your fingers through your hair you took a deep breath before walking out of the bathroom. Glancing to the bed you saw it had been stripped and looked down, you had seen the blood on it and felt guilty you were causing him so much trouble. Hearing a little movement you followed it out to the what looked like living area. Looking around at his home you saw the same style carry through. There was a large stone fireplace on one wall with bookshelves on either side that were filled with books of many different colors and sizes. A long navy blue couch set in front of it with grey colored chairs on either side and wooden side tables. There was even a thrown rug on the floor making the place even more cozy. Pictures were on the wall of many different people. Walking over to them quietly you looked up to some and saw they were of many different men and a few women. All of them were smiling and when you saw a large man in some of them that favored Ed you knew it was him. He was different ages in different pictures. In all of them however he seemed to be sporting a large white crescent mustache and it pulled the corner of your lips up. The ones when he was older, ones where he no longer seemed to have his long blond hair, when he had more wrinkles and scars made your chest warm. So he had been an old man. Still though you didn't find him any less handsome. He still had his looks even with age... like Sam Elliot, you thought with a smile. 

Walking out of the kitchen and towards his bedroom to go check on his lass after she had been in there for a while he stopped and snapped his eyes over to the far wall when something caught his eye. Seeing her standing there looking over all his pictures that he had hanging up he felt his nerves eat at him. While he was sure she would eventually see what he had looked like he was still nervous about it. She was used to seeing him in this younger body, what if when she saw him how he had been, when he was old and sick if she thought less of him. What if she viewed him differently? Noticing the one picture she was currently looking at he swallowed hard as he moved up behind her. "That one there was taken just after Ace joined up with us." 

Hearing his voice you broke your eyes from the picture of all the smiling crew and towards him as he came to stand beside you. Grinning you looked back to the picture, pointing to the one with black hair and freckles you looked to him. "This is Ace?" hearing him hum and listening as he named off all of his sons and daughters in the picture your smile grew more and more. "Then this is you, right?" 

"Yes." he said simply and heard her hum. When she stayed quiet for a few seconds he felt his heart begin to drop. 

Tilting your head up and towards him you rose a brow, "You know, I still don't see a beard." 

Out of all the things he had been expecting her to say that was not one of them. 

"They ought to just call you White-mustache." 

Hearing the tease in her voice he huffed and felt his lips turn up into a smile. "Doesn't have the same ring to it darling." seeing her smile and noting that shine in her eyes he placed his hand on the small of her back, "Come on time for lunch." 

"Wait a second, how tall are you? How tall am I?!"

.............................

Finishing up lunch you had helped him clean up even though he had on more than one occasion tried pushing you to go sit down. "I'm fine."

"You have a habit of saying that lass." he had grumbled. After everything was cleaned up he had grabbed her boots and carried them over to her. "Here lass put on your boots." Watching as she put on the first he knit his brows and grabbed her wrist to move them away from her boot. 

"What's wrong?" 

Looking to the seam saw where it had been worn out, the sole pulling away from the side. In fact now that he was actually close to her feet he could see her sock through the side. "I think you are in need of some new shoes darling." 

"Nah these still have a little while left in them." you told him putting your foot down to lace it up. When you went to reach up to take the other from him you saw him looking to the thinned out soles on the other one. Reaching up to take it from him, you slipped it on your foot. "They're okay..." Seeing him go to speak you stood and looked him in the eye. "I've made due with less." 

Seeing her small grin he kept his brows lowered and looked down to her feet. Now he understood why she was always wincing after wearing those things all day. Sighing he said nothing else for now, he knew well enough she wouldn't listen anyways.

"So where are we going?" you asked him with a smile. 

"Well thought I'd show you around the island some. We don't have to go far and if you get tired or anything you let me know and we'll come back. I don't want you pushing yourself." Seeing her go to brush him off, noticing the slight roll of her eyes he raised his own and looked down at her, "I mean it lass. I find out you overdid it and I'll make you stay in bed for the three days." 

"Rude." you gasped. "I didn't threaten to hold you captive." 

Seeing her slight smile he huffed out. "At least you didn't wake up strapped down to the bed like I did." 

"That's your fault, if you would have played nice they would have taken them off." 

"I'm a pirate, I don't play nice." he told her, enjoying their little playful banter. "You don't play nice and I'll go find some rope." he threatened with a grin making her stick her tongue out at him. Chuckling he again placed his hand on her lower back and led her to the door. 

Walking out of his home you looked around at the breathtaking land. Bright green hills went on and on and in the distance you could see the tall grey mountain. Above was a cloudless blue sky, the weather warm and sunny. You could see the trees and shrubs he had spoke of along with the other homes and what you assumed was the town. Now that you knew that you had in fact grew, being somewhere around fifteen feet in height while you had found out that Edward was a whopping twenty one, almost twenty two. You understood why the houses seemed smaller. Still though, it was all very stunning. "Your home is very beautiful." 

Shutting the door behind them he heard her speak and smiled softly, giving the island a glance over. "Yes it is. Most don't see the value of it because there is no big city or things other islands have to offer but personally I find that to be the charm of it. When I was sailing around and well being a pirate it was refreshing to be able to come back here every so often for some peace and quiet." 

Nodding you looked up to him. "I get it. I never much cared for the city life, I find it too loud with no privacy." 

"You lived in the city before?" he asked, raising a brow as he placed his hand on her lower back to start leading her along.

"For a time." you answered with a downward look. 

Seeing her shutting down he decided not to push he subject but he did ask one small question. "How many places did you live before you moved to the house you were in?" 

Humming you thought of a way to tell him, you could lie some but you didn't really want to. "Mmmm, many, eight maybe nine... then I....well then I didn't really live anywhere for a while." 

Furrowing his brows at this he saw her looking away from him, keeping her eyes out on the land. Did she mean what he thought she meant? Had his lass been homeless? He had been so busy thinking on what he had learned about her that he didn't even realize she was no longer beside him until he looked down and saw her gone. Quickly stopping he looked around him and then behind. Seeing her standing there staring out at something with wide eyes he too turned his eyes that way and when he saw what had caught her attention he smiled. He had been keeping his eyes out for him but wasn't expecting to find him so soon. 

"What is it?" you asked.

"It's a Sphinx, hence the name of the island lass." he chuckled. Seeing her smile he rose a brow and let out a loud whistle. Seeing the creature look to him, it's head perking up before it was running towards them at full speed he stepped in front of y/n. "Careful he's a hyper rascal." he warned her as the Sphinx got closer to them, when he saw it not slowing down he tensed. "Cain.. Cain calm, slow down...." 

Watching as the large creature jumped through the air and knocked Edward to his back you tensed but then smiled when you saw it just lay on him and give a long lick up his face.

"Agahh Cain." He said in a scolding voice as he tried to whip the slobber from his face. Looking up to see the sphinx smiling down at him he grinned. "It's good to see you again too old friend." Glancing to y/n he saw her just standing there with the same soft smile on her face he loved. When Cain followed his eyes and saw the strange woman he felt the beast get off of him in favor of investigating the new person. "Now Cain you behave yourself." he spoke, sitting up and pushing himself to stand just for some unlikely reason the sphinx didn't like his y/n. "This here is Y/n she's my... friend." he said, quickly catching himself before he could say soulmate.

Seeing the giant creature come over to you you looked up a tad bit to smile at it. "Hello." Standing still but not stiff as Cain went about sniffing at you and looking you over you, you took the chance to also look him over. It resembled a grey lion with a humanoid like face, sharp fangs, black feathers along its back and arms, and a white bushy mane. You had never seen anything like him. He was also huge, taller than you but shorter than Edward by about a foot or so. When he rounded you again you saw him look to Ed who you noticed nod but say nothing before Cain looked back to you and smiled, it's head dipping down to nuzzle your upper body. 

Hearing her giggle as Cain accepted her, nuzzling her chest and face he grinned. When she reached a hand up to begin rubbing his mane he saw Cain close his eyes. 

Scratching behind it's ear you heard a loud purr before it rolled to lay at your feet, it's large tongue hanging out. 

"You overgrown dog." he huffed, shaking his head at how easily y/n had turned the large creature to putty. Being smacked in the face with the bushy end of it's tail he sputtered. 

Laughing you looked up to Ed and smiled, "You never told me him." 

"Well they are kind of hard to explain to someone that had never seen them before."

"Them? So there are more like him?" you asked. 

"Oh course darling. Sphinxes are domestic animals on this island." 

"So they are pets, is he yours then?" 

Seeing the child like wonder in her eyes he couldn't help but smile. "Sure is. He's been mine since I was a boy. Back then he was about the size of your common deer and now well... let's just say he eats too much." 

Giggling as he chuckled you saw Cain give his owner a annoyed look and smiled. "Well I think he's cute." 

Watching as Cain smiled and curled more towards y/n he rolled his eyes as the creature started letting out small noises of joy. He should have known she would have no problem gaining his pet's trust. In fact he'd go as far to say the sphinx was already more contempt with her than he was with some of his sons. When the large creature rolled to it's belly he rose his brows, now there was a sign that Cain trusted her. Sphinxes were very intelligent creatures, when Cain had looked to him earlier he knew what his old friend had been asking, what he wanted confirmed. Cain already knew y/n was his soulmate, he had picked up on their connection. He only wished she would soon see the truth as well. Remembering what else it was he wanted to show her today he walked forward. "Alright Cain I'm stealing her back now." Hearing the creature let out a whine he pet his back. "She'll play with ya another day. Right now I got something I got to show her." 

Looking to him curiously you saw him grin and hold out his hand. Smiling you gave Cain one last rub, "I'll be back." 

'Damn thing is going to get more of her time than me now.' he thought to himself with a chuckle. Feeling her place her hand in his he smiled and started leading her away. He was surprised when she continued holding his hand throughout the walk but he wouldn't dare say a word. 

Walking along the path you admired the beauty of the land, the flowers on the bushes and the deep green trees. "Is the weather always like this here?"

"For the most part. We get storms and such but the weather is mostly warm and comfortable."

"You said that every island is different right, so is there islands where the weather is just hot or cold?" 

"Oh yes. Some islands there is nothing but snow, others deserts, each have their own climate." 

"So what's the strangest one you've ever been to?" 

Humming he thought for a moment "Well I'd probably have to say Raijin is on the list."

"Why? What's it like there?"

"Endless lightning." 

Raising your brows you hummed, "So rubber clothes then." you said and heard him laugh loudly. Talking about some of the other islands as you walked through a hidden pass which you turned and saw was actually behind a waterfall you smiled largely in amazement. When he asked you to close your eyes you gave him a suspicious look he only responded with a challenging look of his own. 

"Don't you trust me darling?"

A little stunned you thought on his words. You had never trusted anyone, not for a long time anyway but for some reason you trusted him. You had since the first time you had met him. Closing your eyes you felt him grab hold of your wrists and lift your from the ground. 

Spinning her around to his back he wrapped her arms around his neck and felt her tense. 

"Ed...Ed wha... no you can't carry me...."

"Why not, how are you supposed to walk when your eyes are closed?"

"Well I... I don't know, you can just lead me."

"Easier this way." he told her, continuing to hold her when she tried wiggling down. "Quite wiggling around will ya lass, you're going to rip your stitches and then Marco will have a fit." 

"You can't carry me... I'm going to hurt your back." 

Letting out a bark of laughter he moved his hands to her thighs to hoist her up and hold her with his arms looped under her knees. "I can promise you lass that a little thing like you isn't going to hurt my back. Pretty sure my coat and boots weight more than you. "Now..." letting go of one knee to move her arms back around his neck he gave her arm a gentle squeeze before moving his arm back to her knee. "..hold on and keep your eyes shut." 

Sighing out you did as he said and closed your eyes, giving up and laying your chin on his shoulder. His muscled. Warm. Bare. Shoulder. At least he couldn't see how red your cheeks were.

Carrying her along the grass covered hill he couldn't help but grin at the feel of her on his back. He couldn't explain how right it felt to have her so close to him. God he felt like a damn teenager again. 

"Are you going to thrown me off a cliff?" you asked and heard him chuckle. 

"Yes." hearing her giggle lightly he smiled. Yep just like two damn teenagers.

Turning to lay your cheek on his shoulder you felt his hair brush your neck and face. Breathing in his scent which smelled like cedar and his own manly nusk mixed with something else, something salty you forced yourself not to sigh. Feeling that warming in your chest again, that fluttering in your belly you bit the inside of your lip. It was getting harder to push away these feelings that seemed to be growing inside of you more and more everyday. Before you could think on it any longer though he was grabbing hold of your hands again and gently easing you down to your feet. 

"Keep em' closed for just a few more seconds." he said. Licking his lips he grabbed ahold of her hips and turned her the right way. Moving to stand beside her he looked out in front of them and grinned before looking towards her face. "Alright lass you can open your eyes now."

Hearing his low, deep voice you obeyed and opened your eyes, what you saw made a small gasp leave your lips. 

Watching her face show true amazement he smiled, "Now you can cross it off your list." 

Nodding your looked to him and smiled before snapping your eyes back to the open sea. 


	10. Chapter 10

Waking up you yawned and gave a little stretch, rubbing your eyes you sighed and sat up from the couch, feeling only a little ache in your chest as you did so. Looking around the home you saw the early morning light coming in through the windows and grinned. From the empty sound you didn't think Ed was up yet. Swinging your legs around over the edge you stood and started folding the blanket that you had been using, tossing it over the back of the couch and fluffing the throw pillow back up you nodded, satisfied with it looking like you hadn't been sleeping there for the past week. Remembering how that conversation had went you felt the corner of your lip lift up the slightest amount.

_Washing your face and braiding your hair down you back you walked back out to the living room and saw it empty. Listening you could hear the shower from Edward's bedroom and figured he was getting ready for bed himself. The both of you had ate supper with Marco and his wife Zella, staying to talk to them both about your world and some other things. Zella was very nice and for the now second time in your life you could see a blossoming friendship there... maybe... maybe she was just being nice. Biting your lip you decided it was best not to overthink it._

_Seeing as the lights were off, other than his bedroom one you walked over to the couch and looked around. Biting the inside of your lip you reached out to pull the throw from the armchair. Turning to the couch you moved to lay down on it, adjusting the throw pillow behind your head and turning to your side. Pulling up your legs so the throw would cover a bit more of you, you sighed. You hated sleeping with pants on, jeans especially but you would just have to deal with it. This wasn't your home, it was his and you didn't want to seem like you weren't respective of that. Closing your eyes you yawned, at least you were already tired. Relaxing you felt yourself drifting off when suddenly a deep, low voice spoke and jolted you from sleep. "Wha..." you asked looking to the back of the couch that you were facing and then turning your head some to see him standing above you._

_"I asked you what the hell you thought you were doing?"_

_Blinking in confusion you felt your bow twitch, "Going to sleep." you answered in an unsure voice._

_"You are not sleeping on the couch lass."_

_Opening and closing your mouth you looked back to the couch and then up to him, "Th..then where do you want me to sleep?" you asked in a low voice. He wouldn't ask you to sleep on the floor would he?_

_"In the bed of course."_

_Knitting your brows you looked to him and shook your head. "That's your bed."_

_"I am not letting you sleep out here on the couch."_

_"Well I'm not taking your bed so it's either here or the floor." you told him with a firm look._

_"I said you're not sleeping on the couch. After everything you did to help me when I ended up in your world I will not allow you to sleep on the couch while I sleep in a bed."_

_"Yes you will. I am fine here. Plus there is no way you can fit on this thin comfortably."_

_"I'll make it work now come on, go get in bed."_

_"No." you huffed, rolling back over to face the back of the couch._

_"Y/n."_

_"Edward." you mocked in the same irritated voice as his. Hearing him growl you kept your eyes close._

_"You are so stubborn."_

_"Maybe you're just too used to getting your way." you shrugged. Hearing a grunt you assumed he had walked away to go to bed but then felt as the throw was ripped from you to be replaced by a heaviness. Opening your eyes to see he had thrown another blanket over you looked up to see him standing there with his brows lowered and his arms crossed over his chest in what looked to be a pout._

_"You'll at least use a better blanket than that damn thing."_

_Grinning you saw him let out a sigh before those warm yellow eyes dropped down to you. "Thank you." hearing him only grunt in response you chuckled "Aren't you too old to pout when things don't go your way."_

_"Keep it up darling and I'll go get them ropes."_

_Giggling you saw his lip lift into the smallest grin "Goodnight Ed."_

_"Sweet dreams lass."_

_Hearing how low his voice went made those butterflies in your stomach flutter and you turned back to the couch to hide your blush. Closing your eyes you listened to him walk to his bedroom but didn't hear his door close._

Every night he had offered you his bed but every night you had turned him down. He was already feeding you and offering you shelter, he took time out of his day to spend with you and he had even gotten the a seamstress in town to make you some more clothes, you would not take his bed. Walking to the bathroom you looked in the closet to see the basket that held you clothes. Taking off the large shirt of his that you had more or less claimed as a sleeping shirt, you folded it up and picked out your clothes for today. Pulling on a pair of jean shorts, your bra and a navy loose fitting tank top you pulled loose you hair and ran your fingers through it before nodded and letting out a little hum. Walking out of the bathroom you moved to the kitchen and made him a quick omelet, your way of paying for your stay was cooking for him and cleaning, even though he told you on multiple occasions that you didn't have to. Good thing was you seemed to mostly wake before him so there wasn't much he could do to stop you. Sitting his plate at the head of the table where he always sat you also got his tea cup ready. Cleaning up you made your way outside, breathing in a deep breath of the clean fresh air. 

"Good morning y/n."

Looking over to the close line not too far from Edward's house you saw Zella there hanging up a load of laundry and smiled. Walking over to her, "Good Morning Zella." 

"How are you feeling today?" she asked. 

"Good. My head isn't even hurting anymore and neither is my chest." you told her

"I am glad to hear. I'm sure Whitebeard is happy to see you no longer in pain as well." Smiling up at the woman she hung up her husband's pants. "So what is it you are going to do today?"

"Umm I don't really know. Is there anything I can help you with?" 

"Not help per say but I'm going to the market when I get done hanging out clothes and you are more than welcome to join me if you would like." 

Smiling you nodded. Helping her hang up the rest of her and Marco's clothing the two of you were soon off to the market. While you didn't have any money to buy anything it was fun to just hang out with Zella and look at all the different foods and stuff. Things here looked and smelled so much better than in your world with nothing being processed. Everything tasted better too, although you really missed pizza. You could probably make it but you would have to get the ingredients first and well yet again you had no money. 

"...I'll pay you fifty berries...." 

"No way!" 

"Fine a hundred berries." 

"I said no! Anyone would have to be a fool to do it." 

"Well I can't leave this island until it's done... I'm not leaving that damn chest down there."

"Best I can tell you is start asking around. Whoever take the job is going to have to be a damn good swimmer is all I'ma say...either that or one of them fishmen."

Having caught on to the conversation between the two men you bit your lip. Looking down to Zella you tapped her shoulder. "I'll be right back." you told her and saw her nod. Walking over to the two men you licked your lips. "Um excuse me sir but I heard you talking about a job you needed done, one that would need a good swimmer and I... well I'd like to take it." you said and saw both of them looking up to you in shock. 

"Girl this ain't no job for..." the one started but felt a jab to hsi ribs and shut up.

"Is that right doll? Well I must ask, are you a decent swimmer?" 

Looking to the man with the long scraggly beard you nodded. While you hated being called doll you would bite your tongue in favor of making some money. "Yes sir, I'd like to say so. What exactly is it you need done?"

"Well you see doll my ship collide with the reef out there during that storm two weeks ago and the damn thing sunk. Me and my crew just did make it out before the sea swallowed it up but my chest of goods, including my log book and post are in that chest so you see I kinda need it back before we can set off again. It's finally low enough tide that someone would be able to dive down and fetch it for me, I'd go myself but I'm not a good swimmer and neither is none of my crew." he told the abnormally tall young woman. 

Nodding you tilted your head. "So where is the chest at exactly?" 

"It's in my cabin, second floor of the ship." 

Nodding again you looked him in the eye. "A hundred berries if I bring it back to you?"

"Aye. I'll sweeten the deal, I'll give you two if you also manage to bring up my hat and sword, I had them on my nightstand when I went to sleep that night." he grinned.

"Alright I'll do it." 

"Well then let us show you the way." he grinned. 

Quickly going back over to Zella and telling her you would catch up with her later you saw her knitted brows as you only told her you had gotten a quick job. Hearing the men call for you, you gave her a grin. "I'll be fine. if Edward asks just tell him I'll be back later." you told her before turning around to follow the men towards the shipwreck. Arriving at the beach you saw some of the reef and rocks sticking up but you didn't see a ship which meant it was deep underwater. 

"She's just there doll. Remember my cabin is just left off the stairs, second floor." 

Taking a deep breath you nodded. You were sure your heart was beating hard enough against your ribs that it just might burst through. 'Calm down. You've swarm back and forth across the lake a million times, this is going to be a piece of cake. Besides if you do this you will be able to pay Edward back for the clothes and buy enough stuff to make Pizza for You, Ed, Marco and Zella. Hell maybe even some type of desert too.' taking a step out into the water you felt it decently warm, good at least you wouldn't be freezing to death. Slowly walking out into the water you felt the waves crash into you but pushed on. 

"I'll be waiting for you doll." 

.........................

Waking up he walked into the kitchen and saw breakfast waiting for him on the table like usual, sighing he moved to sit down at his seat to eat, knowing she had probably not made herself anything. She was constantly cleaning and cooking for him. He told her repeatedly that she didn't have to but did she listen, No. Y/n was a hard headed woman but she was also kind and funny and caring. Between her world and his own he had taken notice how she always put herself last, like her boots, those hole ridden things should have been replaced by now but instead she had used her money to buy him clothes and food. He knew she didn't make much working at the bar and when he had accidentally knocked a notebook from the coffee table one day he had opened it to see papers stating things she had to pay, he still found it odd people there had to pay for something as simple as water. Adding them up he knew she was by no means a wealthy person but she never complained. Smiling to himself he took another bite of the omelet. 

"What has you smiling so much Pops?" 

Snapping his eyes over he saw Marco walking into the room with a soft grin on his face. "Oh nothing really..."

"Mmm maybe I should have asked who, although I'm pretty sure I already know." Marco chuckled. 

Humming he took another bite of his omelet, bacon and cheese, his favorite, well she did add in spinach but he wouldn't complain. She tended to add vegetables into everyone of his meals. Seeing Marco take a seat at the table beside him he swallowed his food. "What is it you have been doing this morning?" 

"Helped Mrs. Harp deliver her new granddaughter." 

Smiling he gave a light chuckle. "Oh yea, I'll have to go tell them congratulations. Rea and the babe all healthy?"

Nodding he grinned. "Yep both of them are doing great." Rubbing the back of his head he leaned back in the large chair, "So Jozu, Vista and Izo are on their way back here."

Looking back up he blinked, "Did you tell them?" he asked and saw Marco shake his head. 

"No I thought it would be easier in person."

"Do you know when they will be here?"

"Within the next week." 

Humming he finished off his food. While he was excited to see his children again he knew he would never be able to see all of them. He and Marco had already spoken and he agreed with his son, it was best if Whitebeard stayed dead. Standing he carried his pate over to the sink to wash, if he didn't go ahead and do it she would. Putting on the kettle to make his tea his mind drifted again to his soulmate. He wanted to do something for her, something special but he didn't know what yet. Glancing up out the window he saw Zella outside, she looked to be just getting back from the market judging by the basket in her arms. Seeing her looking around he grinned softly. "Marco lad, I think your wife is looking for you?" 

Standing Marco moved to push in the chair. "You know Pops I could be saying that same thing to you before long." 

Hearing this he felt his body stiffen a bit, "Marco..." he said in warning but his first only chuckled in response. Being left alone in the house he couldn't help but think on his son's words. The thought of being able to call y/n his wife made his chest warm up, a upward tug of his lips. He knew he was falling in love with her, he had been around long enough to be in touch with his own feelings and emotions. He was also well past the age to be playing around, he knew what he wanted, he wanted her. There was only one thing holding him back. Her. Nothing about her in particular, hell in his eyes she was perfect. Perfect for him. BUT, she herself wasn't there yet. She had started to open up more and more to him. He knew her likes and dislikes. He knew how she liked her food, how she enjoyed exploring and the water. He knew her favorite color, he knew that she hated bugs and how she wasn't fond of the sitting around but the one thing he knew nothing about other than the little he had been able to piece together himself was her past. She kept that part of herself locked away in a deep abyss that he knew even she wished she could just forget about. She couldn't' though, it was something else learned with age, something she had yet to grasp. A person can move on from their past, learn from it but you could never forget it. Until she got that, until she opened up to him, trusted him he knew their relationship could go no further.

Snapped out of his thoughts by the kettle he moved over to pour himself a cup of tea. Sipping at the hot drink he looked towards the couch she had been sleeping on and frowned. He really had to find her somewhere else to sleep. When he had built himself a home he had assumed he would never have anyone to share it with. His boys stayed where ever doing God knows what when they docked on his home island while he chose to spend it quietly. So being that he had only ever built one room, his room. Yes the other rooms were larger, big enough that if his crew came over to eat or whatever else they could but sleeping wise, no, there was no where else. Sitting his cup down on table he walked over to the book shelf and looked through them until he found what he was looking for. Grabbing the green spined book he opened it and took out the folded plans for the home. Carrying them back over to the table he opened them up and set them down to look them over. Crossing his arms he tapped his finger on his arm in thought. He could easily add another room off of the living room. Finding a pencil he moved to sit down to start making the plans when he heard the door open again and what sounded like the rushed steps. "Marco what..."

"We have a problem..."

.................................

Kicking your arms and feet you kept your head above water, bobbing up and down with the waves as you swam to where to reef was and the apparent sunken ship. Luckily the water was clear so you could make out the ship once you rounded the large rocks. Fish were swimming around so hopefully that meant no sharks. Getting to where you were just over the wreckage you took a few deep breaths, readying yourself. "You got this." you told yourself. With one deep breath you dived under. Swimming down deeper and deeper you saw the ship come into full view. Taking a moment to look the whole thing over you grinned and then moved towards the stairs. Second floor to the left. Second floor to the left. Repeating it over and over in your head you paused when it got much darker inside. Letting your eyes adjust you went into the room that had to be the captain's cabin. Seeing a few fish swimming about you scanned the room for the chest. At first you didn't see it but then you saw something under a knocked over chair. Swimming over you placed your feet on the floor and pulled it up. Thankfully it was a smaller chest and so you grabbed it and started swimming out of the ship. Getting to the surface you set the chest on the rocks that were above water.

Taking a few minutes to regain your breathing you dived back down to get the hat and sword that he said he would pay extra for. Finding your way to his room easily this time you started searching for the sword and hat. He had said they were on his table but everything had been knocked over when it sunk. Seeing a shining sword against the wall you grabbed it, putting it over your arm for now. Now for the hat. Looking over the whole room you ran out of breath and had to take the sword back up. Placing it on the rocks as well you decide to go look on more time, wanting to pay Ed back. Swimming your way down to the ship and getting to the room you looked it over again. Seeing the bed you got down to peek under it and long and behold there was the hat. Reaching under it you felt the material of the hat and grabbed it. Pulling it out you suddenly felt a sharp pain on your arm. Snatching your arm out you saw a eel biting you. Having let out a scream when it bit you you didn't have much air left. Hitting it to try and make it let go it only started to shake, blood coming from around it. Clenching your teeth you grabbed a shard of the broken mirror on the floor and stabbed it. As soon as it let go you dropped the glass and quickly took hold of the hat. Swimming out of the ship you saw blood pouring from your arm but ignored it as your lungs burned. Kicking your feet and arms about you pushed for the surface, desperate for air.

As soon as you broke out you gasped for air, coughing the water that had started to fill your lungs. Crawling up onto the rocks you put the hat beside the other items. Lifting your arm you saw the wound bleeding down your arm. The whole area felt like it was on fire. Were eels venomous? You didn't know but you did know that you really needed to get back to shore. Putting the sword strap over your arm you grabbed the chest and shoved the hat through the other handle. Holding onto the other side you slide off the rocks and started your slow swim back to shore. 

...........................

Finding the man in town that Zella had described he saw the man laughing with some other men that he knew weren't from his village. Gritting his teeth he walked over to him and reached down to lift the man off the stool by his shirt. Holding up to his level he looked into his eyes. 

"Hey what's the big deal?"

"You think you are something don't you punk?! Conning an innocent woman to go risk her life out there in those waters!" 

"I didn't con anyone, she made her choice, I didn't hold a gun to her head or nothing."

Growling he looked down to the open chest and saw it filled with a little treasure and a log pose. "I am going to make this quick and simple for you. You and your crew will be off of this island within the next thirty minutes or I will personally see to it that you all join your ship." Seeing the man nod vigorously he dropped him to the ground and went to where his heart was pulling him. 

Walking over to the beach he looked around until a head of h/c hair caught his eye. Moving over to her he saw her sitting in the sand, her hair and clothes soaking wet but that wasn't what caught his attention, it was the blood currently dripping down her arm. It looked to be in the shape of a moray eel bite and he could hear her mumbling as he got closer. "Can you not go a full two weeks without injury?" 

Snapping your eyes up to the all too familiar voice you saw a look on his face of both annoyance and concern. "I can, I just ah... well..." seeing his brow raise as he crouched down in front of you you snapped your mouth shut. 

Moving to kneel in front of her he grabbed her arm and turned it to look the bite over fully. Sighing he pulled her up and lifted her up into his arm, hearing her let out a little 'eep'. Turning and walking towards his home he heard her huff, feeling water run down his front. 

Being carried in one of his arms you huffed out, "You do know I can walk, it's my arm, not my leg." you complained but secretly loved the warmth his large body was giving your chilled, wet one. 

"I can see that but as it turns out darling I can not trust you not to do something to put yourself in danger so I am going to carry you." 

"I didn't tell the eel to bite me!" 

"No you just decided to go swim out to a shipwreck in waters that are infested with sea kings and a million other things that would swallow you up in an instant. All for nothing I might add." 

"It wasn't for nothing." 

"Then tell me lass what was it for?" 

Turning a little in his hold you grabbed the folded money from your pocket. "It was a job." 

Looking to the berries he knit his brows, "So you risked your life so you could have some money? What do you need money for?"

"It's not for me, it's for you." you told him leaning over him to shove the money into his back pocket. 

Quickly pulling the money out of his pocket he looked to see about two hundred berries there and shook his head at her, "Why is it for me?"

"To pay you back for the clothes and food and letting me stay with you." 

"I'm not taking this." 

Feeling him shove the money back into your hands you knit your brows. "Yes you are."

"No I'm not."

"Yes you are." Going to put it in his pocket you saw him hold his hand over it to stop you. Sitting up you reached up to push it under his bandana. 

"Y/n." he grunted. Trying to reach up to take the money out of his bandana he felt her grab his hand to try and stop him. 

"Ed please just take it I want to pay you back, I...I don't want to bum off of you or make it seem like I'm not grateful." 

Sighing he held her hands in one of his and looked into her eyes. "Lass I know you're not bumming off of me, I know you are grateful. I won't allow you to pay me back because there is nothing for you to pay me back for." seeing her go to speak he pressed his finger to her lips while still holding her hands still. "Did you not buy me clothes, feed me, shelter me and spend your money on other things of entertainment while I was in your world?"

"Well yeah but that's different..."

Chuckling he rose his brows, "How so?"

"Because you...you fixed my roof." 

"I patched your roof once. That one deed doesn't count as payment." 

"You chopped wood..."

"Hmmm chopped wood for a fire to keep us both warm, still not enough." 

Looking down you thought on the main point that had been filling your mind, "You kept me company."

Hearing how soft her voice had gone he felt his brows lower and the smile slowly fall from his face. "Aren't you doing the same thing with me darling?"

"It's not the same thing. You have friends here, your son, your family. You don't need me." biting the inside of your lip you looked away.

Furrowing his brows he placed her down on the log bench outside of his home. Kneeling down in front of her he curled his finger under her chin to force her eyes to his while the other rested on the bench by her thigh. "Need no, want yes. Don't ever think you are burdening me darling..." licking his lips he dipped his head closer to hers, "... That I won't ever want you by my side." Glancing down to her lips he felt that pulling in his chest.

It felt like your heart was going to beat out of your chest the closer his face got to yours. When he was only a few inches from your own you felt your eyes begin to slip close. 

Going to close the distance he dipped his head and...

"Woah what happened to your arm.... oh... um..." 

Tensing up when Marco's voice suddenly sounded from beside the both of you you quickly leaned back and looked down, feeling your whole face heat up with embarrassment. 

Leaning back he glanced down to y/n to see her head dipped down and her shoulders curled inward some. Gritting his teeth he let out a small sigh as he moved to stand. Looking to his son he gave him a glare that he knew Marco understood when he saw him making that same guilty face he had made since he was a young boy. Glancing back down to his lass he saw her very uncomfortable and knew even if he told Marco to leave there was no going back to that moment right now. "Marco tend to her arm while I go get her a towel. Lass don't give him a fuss." Rubbing her shoulder he saw her nod but still not lift her eyes to his.

"I'll go get my kit Y/n, be right back."

Walking towards the door he gave his son a smack to the back of his head as he passed, hearing him mumble out a small 'sorry'.

..............................

Once Marco had cleaned your arm and bandaged it you looked up to his eyes and gave him a small grin, "Thank you, I'm sorry I keep using up your bandages and stuff." 

Chuckling he looked to the woman and smiled, "Nah you're fine Y/n. Keeps my skills refreshed." he said and saw her smile. "So Zel told me about this thing called a pizza you told her about, what is it exactly?" 

"Well actually I was thinking maybe I could make us some for supper, if your father is okay with it that is?" you asked finally looking back up to the man for the first time since what now had to be one of the most embarrassing moments of your life. Just thinking about what had almost happened made your cheeks heat up again. 

Looking down to her eyes he saw a blush on her cheeks but said nothing and nodded. "Of course lass, as long as it won't bother your arm." When she smiled he grinned as well. "Alright then well let's go back into town and get the stuff you need." 

Nodding you got off the bench and moved to hang up the damp towel on the clothes line to dry. Your clothes were only a little damp now, along with your hair but in the sun they would dry quickly. Walking back over to Ed and Marco you saw the man look to you. 

"Anything me and Zel can do or bring?" Marco asked, packing up his things.

Shaking your head you smiled, "Just yourselves."

"Alright then. I'll see you both at supper then." 

Walking beside her towards town he glanced down to her arm, the bite wasn't that big on her as it would have been a normal sized person but he knew it still hurt, eels bites were nothing to take lightly. "You make sure to keep that bite clean lass." Seeing her nod he licked his lips and reached up to rub the back of his head. He wasn't liking how awkward this felt. 

Wanting something to talk about but not wanting to talk about that you glanced up to the mountain and tilted your head. "What's up there?"

Humming he followed her eyes up tot he mountain and rose his brows, "Ah what do you mean?"

"Like is it flat or are there more trees or something else?" 

"Don't know. Probably just rocks." he shrugged.

Tilting your head you grinned up at him. "You've never climbed up there?"

"No." 

Pursing your lips you smiled. 

Seeing her smiling and looking towards the mountain he knit his brows, looking back and forth between the woman and the land mass. "Don't even think about it." 

Hearing him say that you looked to him and grinned. "What?"

"You are not climbing up there." 

"And why not?"

"What do you mean why not? Because it's dangerous that's why."

Waving him off you smiled, "It'll be fine, I climbed the mountains back home loads of times. Besides I want to see what's up there." 

"I said no. We are not climbing that mountain."

"I didn't say you had to go."

"Well I sure as hell ain't letting you go up there by yourself."

"If you're scared though there is no reason in you..."

"Scared?! You think I am scared?!" Chuckling and then laughing he shook his head. "We are not climbing the mountain and it's not because I'm scared." 

Looking to him you smirked "Bock bock bock." 

"Chicken noises really? I am not a chicken. I'm not scared." Crossing his arms over his chest he looked down at her and saw her still looking up at him with that teasing grin. "Don't they teach children to respect their elders where you are from?"

"I mean they do but I didn't know you when you were older and technically we don't know how old you are now so I could very well be your elder." 

'That'd not how that works." he grumbled.

"Oh come on it'll be fun." you smiled. Seeing his brow lower you wrapped your arms around one of his. "Please?" you begged in the sweetest voice you could.

Casting a glance down at her he saw her smiling sweetly at him, batting her lashes as a bonus. Sighing he dropped his head back. "You are going to be the death of me." 

"Second death, I wonder what world you will end up in this time?" 

"The next time I die I better stay dead." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments help feed the muse.


	11. Chapter 11

"mmm this is my new favorite food." 

Glancing down to his son beside him he chuckled. The man was on his fifth piece of the pizza y/n had made. Learning he had liked pineapple y/n had added the fruit to his pizza as a topping which his son had been more than pleased to see. He himself had at first stuck to just bacon and sausage but with a raised brow from the woman and a quick glance to the chopped vegetables he had eventually gave in and added them to his own pizza. Once they were all done he had went outside with Marco while he left y/n and Zella to chat about whatever it was women talked about. Letting out a long sigh he glanced towards the mountain and tapped his foot in thought. 

"Why don't you make it a date?" Marco asked around a bite of pizza. 

Raising his brows he looked down to his son inquisition. "A date? Since when is climbing a mountain considered a date?" 

"When the woman in point enjoys it." he shrugged. Seeing his father needed more convincing he finished off his pizza before sitting up, crossing his legs under him. "You said she liked exploring and adventure which is I guess why she is so eager to climb the mountain in the first place. So you could always turn it into a date."

"Elaborate." He sighed, sitting back and crossing his arms over his chest. He was willing to listen to what his son had in mind, the boy had gotten a wife of his own now so he had to know something about relationships. Besides while he had been with many different women throughout his life he had never had an actual relationship before. 

Humming Marco looked up to the stars, "What about making it a picnic or something, pack a bag with some food and drinks, stuff like that."

Thinking on it he smiled and gave a hum. "Sounds like a plan son. Didn't think you were such a matchmaker." he chuckled in a teasing voice.

"Thank Thatch and his sappy romance novels." he chuckled and heard his father begin laughing. 

.............................

Shrugging the bag up over his shoulder he headed out to find y/n. Quickly spotting her out in the hills playing with Cain, his pet had more or less become hers as he noticed the sphinx would listen to her commands better than it would his own. Getting closer to the two he noticed her just sitting in the grass with Cain laid beside her, his massive head touching her thigh. "Morning darling." he greeted even though it was a little past eleven.

Hearing Ed yo looked up to where he had come up beside you and smiled. "Good morning." Seeing a bag on his back you tilted your head. "Going somewhere?" 

"Yes, actually we both are, if you still want to climb up that mountain that is lass?" It had been a few days since she had said anything about it, he had wanted to make sure her arm healed okay first. He had even checked with Marco to make sure he thought her wounds were healed up enough to make the climb.

Smiling you nodded. "Of course I do. Do I need to go get anything?"

"Nope I got us covered." Seeing her smile he held his hand out for her to take. Starting to tug her up he felt her get pulled back down and looked to see Cain had wrapped his arm around her. "Cain let go." Hearing the creature grumble out a growl he rolled his eyes, "She isn't a toy for you to play with all the time." 

Feeling Cain nuzzle your side you giggled and reached down to rub him. "It's okay Cain, I'll com back later and then I'll finish telling you that story. Deal?" you asked and heard him hum before he sat up and licked at your cheek. 

Hearing her giggle more he smiled and pulled her up into his side as the sphinx released her. Walking away with her he grinned down at her. "And what story is it you are telling the big furball?"

"Oh just a funny story about when I was drunk for the first time." 

Raising his brow he looked down at her. "You tell him stories about your past?"

Humming you nodded and looked down to the ground. "I have always found it easier to talk to animals than I have people. I think it's because you don't have to worry about animals judging you afterwards. They are just happy to see you all the time, they don't care about the things you've done." 

"I understand. Maybe one day you might tell me that story..." he said in a hopeful voice.

Grinning you looked up to him, "Not really much to tell. I drank a whole bottle of strawberry vodka on an empty stomach, puked my guts out before passing out in the middle of the living room floor while dancing to Whitney Houston's 'I want to dance with somebody' on repeat."

"Nice." he chuckled. "Hangover?"

"Nope, I don't get hangovers." 

"Lucky you." he smiled. "How old were you?" 

"Umm eighteen I think. Mel didn't even know I had swiped it until Keith snitched on me." 

"Did you get in trouble?"

"Oh yes. I had to scrub the floors by hand for the next week." 

Laughing he led her to the base of the mountain and looked up to the cliff above their heads. It had a wide enough surface that it would be easier to start the climb there. Seeing her moving to start climbing he scooped her up into his arms. "Hold on." Holding her with one arm under her knees and the other under her mid back with his hands on her thigh and shoulder. 

"Why? What...ahhh!" you screamed out, burying your face into his chest as he jumped from the ground at wha should have been an inhuman speed. 

Feeling her arms wrap around his neck and her face move to hide in his chest made him consider just jumping the whole way up. Smiling he landed on the cliff and glanced down to her. Seeing her peek out at him and then down he gave her a smile. 

"Cheater." you grumbled, hearing him chuckle. When he continued holding you you felt that warmth in your chest and licked your lips, "You going to carry be the whole way up to the peak?"

"I can darling." he told her with a confident smile and a small tilt of his head.

"Then I wouldn't very well be able to say I climbed it now would I?" you asked. 

Humming he sighed. "I suppose not." Gently sitting her down on her feet he let his hands stay on her for a few seconds longer than needed to steady her. She was wearing jeans today but how he wished to have her in shorts just to be able to feel the smoothness of her skin. 

Once he released you you quickly bent down to start unlacing your boots to hide your blush. Taking off one boot and then the other you removed your socks and shoved them inside. 

"Why are you taking off your boots lass?"

"I always climb barefoot. Better grip." you told him standing. 

Humming he nodded. "Careful not to let the rocks cut your feet." Seeing her nod they both began the climb. It wasn't all that steep right now but he was still careful to watch for her, staying close enough he could catch her if she started to fall. After a while of climbing they had started up their game of asking each other questions. "Let's see, have you ever broken a bone? Why did I ask that, of course a clumsy little thing like you has broken a bone."

"Hey, I am not clumsy!" you smiled. 

"I beg to differ darling. I heard you trip again last night." 

"That's your fault, you left your boots right by the end table." 

"Alright I will take blame for that time but I know there is no way you haven't broken a bone so fess up." 

"My leg." 

"Just your leg?"

"Yep... in seven places." 

"Seven places or seven different times?!"

"No all at once."

"Continue." he said with wide eyes.

"I was leaving work one night and the wind caught the door, steps were icy and I slipped. Fell off the top landing and landed wrong, broke my right leg in seven places." you told him as you pulled yourself up onto the next ledge.

"Damn lass."

"Yea not fun. I stayed out there for about four hours until Garth was driving by and saw me. Was out of work for the next month. What about you?"

"Probably close to all of them if I'm being honest, cept' my back... and hip... and skull. Wait no scratch that last one forgot about the time with Rocks."

Now it was your turn to look at him with wide eyes. "And you were picking on me?" 

........................

It took you both close to most of the day to climb the mountain, by the time he was helping you up to the top the sun was on the water's surface. Standing on the top of the large mountain you smiled at the view of the world around you. As it turns out there wasn't any greenery up there and it was only flat for a little ways, enough for the both of you to walk on. The view however was beautiful, especially at sunset. 

Seeing the large smile on her face he looked to the sunset on the water as well and smiled. "I have to admit this is nice." 

Giving him a smile you turned back to the breathtaking view and pulled your phone out of your pocket so you could take a picture. You were truly thankful Marco had been able to rig up your charger to make it charge your phone for you, while you no longer needed it for calls it was nice to have your music and camera. 

Taking the chance while she was snapping pictures on her phone he moved over to the flattest area on the peak and started unpacking the bag. 

Turning around you expected him to be right beside you but he wasn't and you furrowed your brows before catching sight of him and walking over. Rounding the small boulders you gasped a little under your breath when you saw what he had done. There was a blanket laid out along with a pile of wood, a long dish with a top on it and what looked like two large bottles and a thermos of sorts. "Pirates have picnics?" you asked in a soft voice.

Snapping his eyes up he saw her standing there looking down at everything and felt a light blush creep up to his cheeks. Clearing his throat he stood and rubbed the back of his head. "Ah well a little birdie mentioned it and I thought it sounded like a good idea. Thought if we were making the climb up here it'd be nice to make it something special... a date so to speak."

A date?! Like a date date?! With him... and you?!

He could feel his heart beating in his chest and for a split second he felt foolish but then he saw a soft and gentle smile spread across her face. 

"Then a date it is."

Smiling so large his cheeks hurt he held his hand out for her to take. As soon as her small hand was in his own he gently pulled her over to sit down on one of the blankets he had brought. Settling down beside her he finished unpacking the rest of the items, two cups for the tea and chopsticks. 

"Anything I can do?" 

Grinning he looked up to her as he continued getting everything ready. "Just keep sitting there looking pretty." Seeing the deep blush come to her cheeks he chuckled lightly and saw her eyes snap back to the setting sun. Woman took compliments horribly. 

A few minutes later he had gotten everything ready, a tray of sushi and two cups of green tea sat between you both. "Thank you." you told him as he held out your chopsticks. "Did you make this?" 

"Ah, no." he admitted. "Sushi has never been something I have been able to get down. Everytime I try it rips all to pieces." 

"I've never had it before."

"Really? Well isn't this a night of firsts. Do you want me to tell you which is which or do you just want to go for it."

"I'll try anything once."

"That's a good concept." One by one he went about telling her which each different one was. "...and this one is eel."

"Revenge time." 

Laughing he smiled and joined her in eating the piece of anago. He loved her sense of humor, enjoyed how they could eaisly make each other laugh or smile. Seeing her make a face he chuckled. "Not a fan of that one?" he asked and saw her shake her head but force it down. 

"That's all you." 

..............................

A while later they had both finished off the sushi and he had made a fire. With the sun going down it both helped them keep warm this high up and give them a little light. "Alright lass time for another first." he spoke pouring her a saucer of sake and handing it over. 

Grinning you carefully took the large saucer looking cup with both hands and looked down to the liquid, giving it a sniff. It smelled fruity and slightly nutty, good. "It smells good." 

Lifting his own he grinned and gave her a nod before they both took a drink. Humming at the taste he had missed so much he quickly watched for her expression. "So?"

"I like it. It's a little sweet but not too sweet. I can see why it's your favorite." Your grinned, taking another sip. 

Smiling at the fact she liked it he finished off his cup. 

"Marco told me that some of your other sons will be here soon." 

Nodding he saw her finish off her own drink and moved to refill both of their cups. "Yes, Izo, Jozu and Vista." 

"What are they like?" you asked, eager to know more about his family.

"Well Izo is a very loyal person, he loves his family, which I suppose all of us are close. You'll like Izo and he'll love you. Jozu is a bit more gruff and quiet but once he gets to know a person he can become rather playful and teasing. As for Vista well he's character, he's modest but in a good way. All of them are their own people but you will like them, and all of them will like you. I wish you could meet all of them but I know that's not possible. Not anymore." 

Seeing him saddened by the thought of never being able to see his whole family again you furrowed your brows and moved your hand to his forearm and gave ita small rub, seeing him look down to you. "Well then I guess you will just have to tell me about all of them yourself." 

Looking down beside him at the smaller woman he sighed softly and grinned at the kindness in her eyes. Thinking of something he looked down to her small hand and placed his own on top of it, stroking the top of her hand with his thumb. "Y/n, darling, you want to listen to my stories, you ask me about my children, my life, me. You know more about me than probably most of my sons but I know so little about your own life, about your past."

"I've told you about when I started working at the bar." you said dropping your eyes down to your cup as you moved it to your lips, taking a long sip. 

"Yes you have and after that but not before, not about your family." 

"It's not the same Ed." 

Hearing how soft her voice was he furrowed his brows. "And why isn't it lass?"

"Because your stories, most of them are nice and they're happy, mine isn't."

"You think my life has been all smiles and rainbows darling? It hasn't, I can assure you."

"I didn't mean it like that I just... I don't want you to see me differently..." you finally admitted in a sigh, closing your eyes and keeping your head down.

Seeing her small frame curl up he knit his brows and curled his finger under her chin to lift her saddened eyes back to his. "I won't. I will never see you as anything but the beautiful, kind, caring woman you are." Feeling her try and turn her head away when he paid her the compliment he clicked his tongue and held her chin still. "One of the things you learn with age darling is that a person's past never defines them." 

Blinking as you saw his two warm yellow eyes looking down at you you let out sigh, "What would you like to know?" 

"Everything." stroking her cheek.

Nodding you looked to yoru glass, "Gonna need more alcohol." 

Chuckling softly he filled her cup, "That I can do darling." 

..........................

Over the next few hours he sat back against the boulders with y/n curled up in his side, the other blanket he had packed wrapped around her to keep her warm along with his own body heat. His arm was wrapped around her, holding her and stroking her upper arm to offer her comfort as she told him about her, putting it bluntly, fucked up childhood. They had already been through one of the bottles of sake and were close to finishing off the second, the alcohol helping the painful memories fall from her lips. She told him how her parents who she couldn't remember had her when they were only sixteen. 

_"...My mother's family was higher class than my father's, from what I was always told he was a bad seed that came along and ruined her. Apparently they had ran away when she got pregnant but when I was born I guess they found out it raising a kids meant growing up and they weren't ready for that so they dropped me off at my grandparents and took off. My grandparents didn't want the proof of how their perfect daughter had fell though, they kept me for a few months and then gave me to my dad's grandparents. I lived with them until I was five, they were really nice, closest thing to a family I ever got but they were old and once they passed I was sent away again. My mom's parents didn't really have much of a choice but to take me back in but they made sure I knew I wasn't wanted there. My granddad refused to even talk to me and my grandmother just told me over and over about how I was the reason their family line would never be the same..."_

_"Well doesn't she sound like a peach." he grunted through clenched teeth._

_Humming you took another sip of the sake. "Yea, tell me about it. She told me once that she wished I would have been a stillborn."_

_"Are they dead?"_

_"I don't think so why?"_

_"I wish them both a slow death."_

_"Ed don't drop to their level." you said and heard him only grunt._

_"So what happened then?"_

One by one, her family had passed her along, like some unwanted family heirloom. Along the family she went, to uncles and aunts and then cousins until soon she was handed off to a family friend. Everyone she had been left in the custody of treated her horribly, she told him only a little bit but he knew there was more. The family friend that she had lived with had made her sleep in the in the laundry room that she had described as cold and damp. 

_"I stayed sick all winter."_

When she had stopped for a moment, drinking down her sake rather quickly he knit his brows. Goug to ask her if she was alright she started again, this time her voice softer, shakier. She spoke of the woman's oldest son, who was almost old enough to be considered a man, she told him how the boy had began to get 'handsy', telling him how he wouldn't take no for an answer. Although she had went no further into it than that he got the feeling something else had happened and it made the vein in his forehead pop out. 

_"When I went to her and her husband they told me I was lying and locked me in my room. A few days later Chris tried again but this time I hit him in the head with the iron and busted it open. If I thought they hated me before I had been wrong, the dad rushed him to the hospital and the mom beat the living shit out of me." Chugging down the rest of the sake you stared into the fire. "Two days later she told me to go get in the car, said we were going to the park. I didn't think anything of it because she usually took the little kids their once a week to play but this time she didn't go to the normal park. We went to this park that had to be at least three hours away. She bought all of us lunch and then we went to the park." taking a deep breath you bit your lip. "I was on the swing when she came over. Sh etold me that she was taking the kids to the bathroom and that they would be back. They never came back." you shrugged._

They had just left her there. She had been thirteen. A child. She had been a child and they had just left her there with no money, no food, no clothes, no nothing. Next she had told him about how she had spent the next two years living on the streets. She scronged around for food, she slept where ever she could.

_"I remember always being cold."_

Her voice was nothing but a whisper, she was ashamed, ashamed of the things she had to do just to survive. When she had turned to stealing things he could tell she considered that one of her lowest moments. "You did what you had to do darling." he told her. 

"Still doesn't make it right." 

"You stole things you needed to get by not things for joy." 

Grinning the tiniest amount you held up your cup for him to fill. 

Topping off their cups with the rest of the sake he moved his arm to pull her back into his side. "So when did Garth find you?"

Swallowing the sake in your mouth you pulled your knees up to your chest and leaned more into his side. You didn't know whether it was the alcohol or the fact he was offering you comfort while you told your life story but you just wanted to be as close to him as possible. He didn't seem like he minded. "I had been running from these guys for a few weeks, really bad people that had been trying to get their hands on me..."

"Why? What did they want from you?" he asked, not liking where this was going.

"I don't know exactly but I'm pretty sure they were trafficking women and kids. I saw them around other women and young girls before." 

Clenching his teeth he took a deep breath to calm his temper. 

"But I was running for them and I was scared. I ran through the woods, I went on for days until I was in this place I didn't know. Winter set in quick and I had no place to stay, no where to get food. I was starving and freezing and just over it." 

Watching out of the corner of his eye as she downed the remaining sake he furrowed his brows. He didn't like where this was going. "Go on." 

Hearing his deep, low voice you closed your eyes. "I didn't want to go on anymore... I didn't want to hurt anymore." There was a lump forming in your throat now and you tired to focus on his heartbeat, the soothing thumping. 

Swallowing hard he looked up to the stars shining high in the sky. "What did you do lass?" he asked, his voice thick with emotion. 

"I... I climbed up onto the bridge. I stood there, looking down at the valley for a while, wondering why the hell I was ever born, what the point of my existence was if no one was ever going to want me...." Feeling a tear fall to your cheek you quickly reached up to brush it away. "I had moved to take that step when I was snatched down to the asphalt." you told him and let out a sad chuckle. "Garth had snuck up on me and pulled me down. God I gave that man hell. I hit him, kicked him, bit him, did anything I could to make him let me go. I begged him to just let me die but he wouldn't do it. He held me until I calmed down and then put me in his car and drove me to the hospital. I was so damn pissed at him. Refused to talk for a week, wouldn't even tell anyone my name. He never said anything bad though, he just kept coming, bringing me food and stuff, sitting with me and watching TV. Sooner or later I broke down and told him enough. He tried putting me into foster care three times but I just kept running away. Finally he gave up and the rest you know." 

Taking a deep breath he kept his eyes up on the stars, silently thanking whatever higher power that was up there for keeping her alive, keeping his soulmate alive. It hurt his heart to know that the woman he loved had been through so much, that she had felt so alone. She thought there was no one that wanted her, no one that loved her. "I'm sorry that you had to endure all of that lass. That you were alone for so long." Looking down at her he saw her eyes looking up at him, her lashes still a bit wet. 

"Thank you Ed, for listening." 

"Of course darling." 

Licking your lips you gave a sheepish grin, "Sorry for making the date so depressing." 

"Don't be, this has been a perfect date." 

"You must've had some really bad conversations on dates then." you said with a cuckle. 

Tilting his head some he leaned back some, "Well actually darling this is my first real date." 

"No it isn't." you said, looking up at him sideways. 

"It is." Seeing her looking at him in disbelief he chuckled. "Is it so hard to believe that some people don't go on dates." 

"No, I've never been on a date but that's because I'm an antisociable loser." you giggled and heard him snort out a laugh. "I just find it hard to believe that you have never been on a date."

"Well lass there isn't exactly a high population of women that are either my height or willing to go on dates with men four times their height." 

"I thought you said that woman you were on Rock's crew with was around the same height as you."

"LINLIN?!" he gawked. Feeling his lip lift into a snarl he shook his head. "No way in hell." 

"What?" You laughed. "Didn't you say she had like a ton of kids?"

"I think she is at 85." 

"How is that even possible?" 

"I don't know, I don't even want to think about it." he said and shivered. "Let's not talk about it."

Giggling you leaned more against his chest. "Well I'm honored to be your first date then." 

"As I am yours darling." 

.........................

Waking up to the sun hitting his face he knit brows, his eyes still not opened yet. He was laying on something hard, sure as hell wasn't his bed. Then there was the pressure on his side and chest, not a heavy pressure but a notable one. It was warm as well. Cracking one eye open he looked down to see the face of an angel. She was sleeping, her head was on his bare chest, along with her hand which was laying over his right pectoral. The blanket was covering her body below her shoulders and some of his lower half but he could feel what he guessed was one of her legs thrown over his thigh. Letting his eyes scan her face he saw her lids and lashes fluttering as she dreamed. Her lips were slightly parted and he couldn't help but wonder how they would feel against his own. As the sun rose higher into the sky and onto her face he saw her brow twitch, a small hum coming from her. Watching her eyes open some, attempting to blink away the sleep he smiled and chuckled softly at how cute he thought she looked. 

Opening your eyes and seeing two warm yellow ones looking at you felt a light blush warm your cheeks. "Hi." 

"Hi lass." he spoke his voice still deep and husky with sleep. 

"I guess we should climb down now huh?" 

Humming he grinned. "Well actually I have one more thing in mind?" Seeing her tilt her head he grinned. Sitting them up he started packing up their things, seeing her help as well. Once everything was up he walked to the edge of the mountain and looked down to where his village was. Seeing a black dot down there he grinned and gave a loud whistle. 

Watching with wide eyes as Cain flew the whole way up here and landed ont he rocks by you both you opened and closed your mouth before looking to Ed. "You didn't tell me they could fly too."

"I thought you knew." he chuckled. 

"So what is Cain going to give us a ride down?" you asked, rubbing Cain's back. 

"Sorta." he smiled. Walking over to his pet he leaned in close.

Seeing Ed whisper something to the large creature while smirking at you you narrowed your eyes. "What are you up to?" 

"A pirate never tells darling." he smirked. Walking over to her he placed his hands on her hips and lifted her up onto Cain's back. "Now you hold on tight and I'll meet you down at the bottom." 

"Wait your not coming?" 

"No lass, I'm a bit too big. Besides this is one of your dreams not mine." Seeing her confused he smiled and looked up to the clouds. When it seemed to click he chuckled and patted Cain's head. "You be careful with my lass now Cain." 

"Wait Ed..."

"Have fun darling." he said and watched as Cain ran from the edge of the mountain. 

Tensing up a bit at first you finally opened your eyes and looked around you to see the ground far bellow. You could even still see Ed standing on the top of the mountain watching you. Up and up Cain flew until the island itself looked like nothing more than a speck of green in a vast blue ocean. Raising your head to look in front of you you saw white puffy clouds and smiled. Going up just a few more feet and you were soon flying through the clouds. Holding onto Cain with one hand you lifted the other to watch your hand fly through the clouds. Of course you couldn't feel anything but it was still amazing. Knowing Ed had remembered one of your bucket list items and done this for you made you feel that warmth in your chest, your heart feeling like it was going to burst. Before long the both of you started back towards the ground, Ed somehow already down there. 

Standing there with the bag by his feet and his arms crossed over his chest he smiled at the sight of how happy she looked. Seeing Cain land by him he reached up to help her down and was surprised when she wrapped her arms around his neck to hug him. Humming he hugged her back, listening to her thank him over and over. "You're welcome lass." he smiled. 


	12. Chapter 12

Looking up at the giant ship with the blue whale as the figure head you tilted your own head. Ed had told you that his own main ship had been sunken during the war so you guessed this was one of his other ones. Seeing how big this one was made you wonder how large the actual Moby Dick had been. It seemed to be made up of mid-colored wood with the white and navy blue trim. The many sails were up since it was docked but the Whitebeard flag flew proudly at the top of the mast. Seeing all the ropes and stuff you could only imagine how many people it took to run a ship like this even more so with the paddlewheels on the back. Swinging your feet you looked back down to the drawing you had made of the ship. Humming along to the music as you added in details and such.

"Of course, why would she sit where it was safe..." he grumbled to himself as he finally caught sight of the woman who held his heart. Looking out to where she sat on he sighed. Somehow or another she had managed to get herself out onto one of the larger rocks in the sea that was the closest to the whaleship. She was just sitting there, her feet swinging idly and doing something that he couldn't really make out. "Y/n!" he called but she wouldn't look his way. Trying twice more she still didn't hear him. He wondered if the waves crashing against the rocks were the cause of it. Sighing out he started to jump across the rocks towards her. Finally getting to the one she was on he moved to stand right behind her, looking down to see she had her headphones in. 'Well that explained her not hearing him.' Seeing something in her lap he leaned forward some and peeked over her shoulder. 

A sudden shadow coming over you made you knit your brows and look up to the sky, was it clouding up? Seeing a face you let out a yelp and lost hold of your book. Panicking when you thought it would fall into the water you saw a large hand come out to grab it just in time and sighed. Snatching your headphones from your ears you turned around to give him a small glare. "Stop sneaking up on me." you scowlded, smacking one of his large legs that was beside you. 

Huffing out in amusement he smirked and looked down at her, noticing that when she was sitting she only came up to his knee. "You're the one that makes it so easy darling." When she stuck her tongue out at him in reply he chuckled and lifted her notebook. "What were you doing out here anyway?

Seeing him go to look through your notebook you quickly stood and moved to take it from him. "Just doodling and stuff." 

Holding it out of her reach when he saw the slight blush on her cheeks he grinned. "Doodling what lass?"

"Just little things, now give it back." you grunted. Wrapping your arms around his large biceps you attempted to haul yourself up or pull his arm down but neither happened as he just held you in the air like you weighed nothing more than a bag of flour. 

"I want to see what some of the other dreams are on your list." he smiled. 

"No." Jumping up to try and grab it he only held it above his head, even further out of your reach. 

Humming he rose one of his brows, "Why not?"

"B..because there mostly stupid things... most of them are places back in my world I wanted to see." 

"A person's dreams are never stupid. Most may be places but not all so I'm still curious." Seeing her go to try and grab it again he moved out of the way and jumped to the next rock then the next and back towards shore. 

"Edward Newgate! You give me back my notebook right now or so help me I will kick your old ass!" you yelled as you picked up your phone and headphones, jumping after him at a slower pace than he was going. Hearing his loud laugh you narrowed your eyes and growled. By the time you got back to shore he was gone and you were trying to figure out which way he went. "So much for acting your age." you grumbled. Feeling a pull in your chest you decided to follow it and ran as fast as you could. 

He had been running for a short time before he slowed down into a walk, moving towards the small patch of trees and shrubs to hide behind. Sitting down in the grass he opened the small notebook up to the first page to see a quote, 

_A ship in port is safe,_   
_but that is not what ships are built for._   
_Sail out to sea and do new things._   
_~Grace Hopper_

Smiling at that he flipped through the first couple dozen pages to see small things written out, lists of things she needed to do with some things crossed off, recipes, dates to remember, a list of books. Opening the book to the next page he felt this one heavier than the other and opened it to see a small picture taped sideways to the page. Turning the book so he could see it better he saw it was a picture of a man and woman with five small children sitting all around them. Knitting his brows he looked to the couple and noticed they looked a lot like y/n. The picture looked a little old and he noticed it had a few blotches here and there. Looking back to the family he frowned, were they her parents? She said she didn't know where they were, that she hadn't ever met them, had she lied to him? Feeling the next page heavy as well he turned it and saw a pressed daffodil, written at the bottom was 'Ed'. She had wanted to remember the flowers he had given her. A few more little things went on for a while again until he came to a sketch. A sketch of the whaleship. She had done a pretty good job of drawing the ship out, she had even drew his flag beneath it. Still hung up on the fact that she may had lied to him he only felt his lip lift up a little. Going to the next section in the back of the book he found what he had been looking for.

Bucket List

  * ~~Meet my parents.~~ (Almost illegible)
  * ~~Climb a mountain.~~
  * Fly in a plane.
  * Ride on a ship.
  * Canno the Smith River.
  * ~~Make a friend.~~
  * ~~See a shooting star.~~
  * Visit the Grand Canyon.
  * See the Niagara falls.
  * ~~See the ocean.~~
  * ~~Jump off a waterfall.~~
  * ~~Take an art class.~~
  * Read The Great Gatsby. 
  * Watch Dances with Wolves without falling asleep.
  * ~~Go on a date.~~
  * ~~Find a four leaf clover.~~
  * ~~Touch a cloud.~~
  * See a shark/dolphin.
  * Get my first kiss.



WHAT?! She has never been kissed?! They had almost... last week. Wait, if she has never even been kissed has she never... Swallowing hard he rubbed his face. He would have to come back to that. 

  * Mean something to someone.



That made him frown, his brows furrowing down and his heart ache. 

  * Be apart of a family.



Sighing he dropped his head. He knew what that felt like, knew what it was like to have no one. Going to lift his head up to read again he was knocked to the ground suddenly, letting out a small 'ooff' on the way. 

"Ha! Got you!" you hummed. Grabbing hold of your notebook you went to pull it from his hand, "I'll take that thank you..." When he still didn't let go you groaned but didn't get time to protest anymore before a large arm wrapped around you and pulled you to the ground beside him. "Eddddd." you whined. Trying to wiggle out of his hold to no avail you looked to see his face serious. 

Laying beside her he held her still as he flipped to the page with the picture on it. He had to know, had to know if she had lied to him. "Who is this?" He asked in a firm voice. Seeing her face fall and her eyes quickly look away from the picture he frowned. "Are they your parents?"

"Yes." you whispered.

"You told me you had never met them." he said confused. He didn't want to seem angry at her but he also didn't like the idea of that she had lied to him either. 

Hearing how deep his voice was you knit your brows, "I.. I haven't."

"Then how did you get their picture?" Seeing her frame curl inward some he took a deep breath, he would get nothing out of her if he didn't calm down. "I don't mean to sound angry lass I just... I don't understand." 

Glancing back to the picture you felt a lump in your throat grow but quickly swallowed it down. "I looked them up..." when he knit his brows you licked your lips. "Remember that thing I was using, my laptop. I told you about the internet and how it had all this information on it." Seeing him nod you looked to him, "Well a few years ago I got up the courage to look up my parents. I didn't know anything but their names but after a while I managed to track them down. I don't know where they are exactly, just a general location. Anyways I saw that picture there and I got so happy, they were still together and I had brothers and sisters. I sent them a message telling them who I was and how I wanted to meet them, I told them how long I had been hoping to find them." Stopping to get ahold of your emotions you looked away from him, "It took a few days and I remember losing hope but then when I got home one night I had a message from them, my mother." taking a deep breath you looked down to his blond hair that was laying across his arm and onto yours some. "She told me that she was sorry but they had moved on from that time in their lives. They had started a new life with their children and they didn't want me to intrude on that. They apparently hadn't told any of my siblings about me and never wanted them to know. She said that if I really cared about them I would be happy for them and respect their wishes, that I would never try to contact them or anyone else in that family again." Feeling your lip try to tremble you bit down on it. "I printed out their picture because... well I don't really know why..." you huffed sadly. "I guess because even if they could forget me, that that didn't mean I could forget them." 

He felt like such an asshole. She hadn't lied to him, she had never lied to him. She just didn't want to be reminded of more pain. His own parents had died, he hadn't been orphaned by choice, she had. He couldn't imagine ever doing that to a child. To make them feel what his lass felt, unwanted, even by her parents. The thought alone angered him and he wished he was back in her world just so he could hunt down all of the people that had ever hurt his darling. 

Sniffling you took a deep breath and grabbed the book from him, closing it. Looking up into his warm yellow eyes you slowly felt your pain go away and a sense of ease come over you. Wanting to break this sad moment you grinned a little and stood, feeling his arm loosen to allow it this time. Stepping over him you looked down his wide, toned back and hummed, swinging your foot you turned it and kicked him square in his no doubt muscled ass.

Feeling her kick him, not hard enough to actually hurt but hard enough that he could feel it he felt his eyes go wide and snapped his eyes up to her. "Wha.."

"I told you I was going to kick your old ass." you huffed, crossing your arms over your chest.

"You sure you want to challenge Whitebeard darling?"

"Won't be much of a challenge with you loosing and all..." When the great Capitan only narrowed his eyes, a playful but dangerous look coming over his face you smiled and quickly ran for it. Only getting a few meters away before a light tremor shook the ground and put you off balance. Going to fall you were swept up and tossed over the massive man's shoulder like a bag of rice. 

"What was that about me loosing?" He asked with a smirk.

"I was talking about swimming." you giggled but only heard him hum before laughing. 

.........................

"What are you looking at hun?" Zella asked her husband who was looking down towards the valley with a soft smile on his face. 

Chuckling lightly the phoenix smiled, "Nothing." Turning away from the playing man and woman by the trees, giving his pops some privacy.

............................................

Waking up suddenly he snapped his eyes open and stared at the ceiling of his bedroom. Something felt off, knowing that usually that feeling meant something involving his soulmate he got up from bed and quietly walked from the room. Seeing the bathroom door open he knew she wasn't in there. Making his way across the living room he looked down to the couch and found it empty. Quickly looking to the kitchen and dining room he saw them both empty as well and felt his brows lower. Snapping his eyes to the door he saw it unlocked, she had left the house. With a deep breath he made his way out to find her, letting his heart guide him to her. 

Having woke up covered in a cold sweat and panting for air you shakingly stood from where you were sleeping and hurried outside. You didn't exactly know where you were going you just knew you had to walk, had to get away to clear your mind. Before long you had made your way down to the beach and sank down to sit in the cool sand. Pulling your knees up to your chest and hugging them you rested your chin on them and closed your eyes. Taking a deep breath you let it out in a long sigh. Thinking back to your dream you swallowed hard. 

_Sitting on the cold wooden floor in the middle of the dark room you breathed heavily and looked around, "Hello? Is anyone there?" No one answered at first and you licked your lips. Looking down you saw you wearing old threadbare clothes like the ones you wore when you were living on the streets for those two years. Moving to push yourself up to stand you were suddenly struck across the left cheek and fell back to the floor, your hand flying up to your burning face._

_"Despicable girl."_

_Snapping your eyes up to the familiar female voice you saw your grandmother standing there in her usual red dress, a deep scowl on her wrinkled face. Shaking your head a little you turned to move away from her when you were stuck again, this time the hand a little larger, rougher._

_"Worthless."_

_Your grandfather, a look of distaste in his eyes as he looked down his nose at you._

_"You should have never been born." your grandmother snapped._

_"No one wants her, she's so ugly."_

_Seeing your great aunt had joined them you swallowed hard._

_"What a waste of life." Your cousin spoke._

_"Stupid."_

_"Loser."_

_"...going to grow up to be a common harlot, just like her mother."_

_"Unsightly."_

_"Useless."_

_One by one more people crowded around you, striking you and calling out insults. Everytime you tried to get up you were hit back down to the floor until soon you could do nothing but curl up into a ball, your hands over your ears and your eyes shut tight as you tried to drown out what they were saying. When their voices got louder you felt tears fill your eyes and you started to scream._

_"They're right you know."_

_Gasping you heard all of the other voices stop and opened your eyes to see them all gone. Turning your head you looked around the dark room until you saw him. Watching as he crouched down in front of you you stared up into those yellow eyes. Something wasn't right, why did they look so cold? Swallowing hard you parted your lips to speak, "E..ed..."_

_"They're right."_

_Furrowing your brows you licked your dry, cracked lips and started to shake your head. Before you could speak he started laughing._

_"Did you really think I would ever want you?"_

_That wasn't his normal laugh, wasn't the one you had heard so many times before, the one that made your heartbeat a little harder in your chest. Feeling tears well up in your eyes you blinked and felt them roll down your burning cheeks._

_"You're so pathetic. No one wants you, you don't mean anything to anyone, especially me." he huffed._

_Feeling the lump in your throat burn you let out a little sob._

_"Why would I want someone as ugly as you by my side?"_

_"P..plea..sssse ssstop..." you cried. Feeling him curl his finger under your chin and lift your eyes to his you looked up at him through your tears._

_"I will never love you."_

_It felt like someone had stuck a knife straight through your heart. Feeling his finger slip from you, you dropped your head to the wooden floor and curled up as tight as possible as sobs wracked your body. You heard his deep chuckle and then the sound of his boots walking away before you were left alone in the cold darkness._

Feeling something wet land on your cheek you opened your heavy eyes and stared out at the sea, the moon reflecting off of the dark surface. Curling up tighter if possible you sniffled, another tear rolling down. It felt so real, all of it. The clenching in your heart as well. As much as you hated it you couldn't help but wonder if this was a warning of some kind. There was no doubt in your mind that you were falling for Edward, never in your life had you felt this connection with anyone, this longing, this happiness. But what if it was all too good to be true? What if he didn't feel the same? Would he grow tired of you soon as well? Would he throw you away like everyone else had? Then you would be alone again. You didn't want to be alone anymore. You didn't want to hurt anymore. 

Looking out to the moonlit shore he saw her and started walking forward. What the hell was she doing out here? It was the middle of the night and she was in nothing but his damn shirt. Getting closer he went to call out for her but stopped when he saw the shining tears rolling down her cheeks. He had only seen her cry that once, when he had stopped that man from raping her. Just the sight alone made his heart ache. She looked so fragile to him in that moment with her body curled up as tight as she could, clad only in his button up shirt that was too big on her. Her hair was blowing wildly around her with tears rolling down her cheeks. She didn't look hurt to him, not physically but she was hurting that much was clear. Slowly walking over to her he saw her glossy eyes stay on the dark sea before snapping to him once he got close enough. 

"E..ed..." your voice was nothing more than a broken whisper. Quickly remembering that you were crying you looked away when you saw him looking down at you with concern clear on his face. Wiping at your cheeks and eyes you mentally started cursing yourself for no doubt looking so incredibly pathetic. Here you were crying on the beach in the middle of the night, _STUPID!_

Not saying anything at first he crouched down beside her, placing his hand on her back. Hearing her start apologizing for waking him and telling him to go back to his home in a soft, saddened voice he furrowed his brows. When she still refused to look at him he tilted his head. "Lass, look at me."

His voice sounded so deep and low, you knew he wasn't asking. That was the voice of a captain giving an order, just maybe a little softer that he would have been with his crew. Screwing your eyes shut you tried to force away your previous emotions, not wanting to look weak. 

"Y/n." 

Swallowing hard at the way he said your name you slowly moved your eyes out from where you had hid them in your knees to look up at the giant of a man. You thought he might be angry, that he might be annoyed but that wasn't the case. Those weren't the cold eyes from your dream, those were warm and kind and caring. Just one look made you feel so much, his touch, his smell, his... everything. Never before had you felt so alive than you did when you were with him. How could one man, one person cause so many feelings inside of you? He made you want to smile, want to laugh and cry and... love. You loved him. YOU LOVED HIM! It was like someone had hit you with a ton of bricks and all too soon you were crying again. No, no you couldn't love him because if you loved him there was no going back. If you loved him and he didn't love you then it would break you. If you loved him and he tossed you away then it would kill you. Oh God it hurt, just the thought alone hurt, it hurt so bad. 

Seeing her start crying again, her body curling up and her fingers dig into her arm he felt his heart throb. "What's wrong? Y/n, darling tell me what's wrong." he spoke in a deep voice, kneeling down to place both of his hands on her, trying to comfort her.

His touch was like a warm blanket and his voice a light shining at you from the darkness. "I'mmm afffraid." you cried without looking up at him. There were so many emotions hitting you all at once. Shame, embarrassment, fear, uncertainty, sure, delightled, doubtful...love." 

Afraid. First thing that popped in his head was him, was she afraid of him? Many people were. He was sure he had never given her reason to be though, he was careful around her. "Of what, afraid of what?" She didn't answer him for sometime and he feared it was him but then she spoke one quiet word that made it all clear. 

"Feeling." 

He knew her past, knew what she had been through. The past was hard, it was for most and some never recovered from things that happened to them. It could make people bitter, angry and afraid. His lass had been hurt time and time again. She had been tossed aside, given away and never given the chance to develop any real relationships in her life. Everyone she had ever trusted had hurt her and so she had shut herself off. She didn't have any friends, didn't try and make friends because she was scared of being hurt again. Now though he assumed she was feeling the same thing as him and that scared her. Taking a deep breath he gently lifted her up into his arms, feeling her not even fight him. Holding her close he dipped his head down and closed his eyes, "I know you've been hurt before and this scares you but Y/n you have my word that I will never make you feel what they did. I will never leave you. I will never hurt you." he promised her in a low, deep voice.

You wanted to believe him, you really, really did but you were still afraid. Still unsure. People had made you promises before and never kept them, were his just empty words as well. Would he grow tired of you or change his mind? 

Feeling her body remain tense he turned his face to her head, touching his lips and chin to her forehead. Letting out a sigh he stroked her thigh with his thumb. "There's nothing wrong with being afraid lass. Just means I'm going to have to work on making those fears go away. I'm going to spend the the rest of my days proving to you how wonderful you truly are."

"Wwwhy? Why would you... why do you c...care?" you asked in a broken cry.

Smiling he breathed in the scent of her hair, wrapping his arms around her to hold her close. "Because lass, I love you." 

Gasping you opened your eyes, looking at the skin over his hard chest, feeling his heart thumping in your ear. A tear rolled down your cheek at his confession, the words you never thought you would hear anyone say to you. "Yo....uuu...mmmee?"

"Need me to say it again darling? I'll tell you everyday." he grinned. "I love you." 

Fresh tears poured form your eyes but these were not from the sadness or loneliness you were so accustomed to crying about, no for the first time in your life, these were tears of pure joy. 

He hadn't been expecting her arms to wrap around his neck, nor her face to nuzzle into his neck as she cried but he wouldn't complain. Wrapping his own arms around her he hugged her as tight as he could without crushing her. 

Swallowing thickly you felt a burst of courage come over you and smiled, you couldn't exactly leave him hanging."I love you." 

Smiling from ear to ear he turned his face to press a kiss to her head. "You really do know how to make this old man feel young again lass." he chuckled and heard her hum softly. When she nuzzled into his neck more, her arms still latched onto him with no signs of letting go he grinned and stood, holding her to him with one arm under her ass and the other over her back. Walking back to his home he carried her inside and locked the door. Passing by the couch he felt her head perk up some and grinned but said nothing as he walked back to his room... their room. 

"Ed..."

"No more sleeping on the damn couch." he told her in a firm voice, moving into the dark room and over to the bed. Laying her down on the side closest to the wall he got in beside her and pulled the covers over the both of them. He could tell she was a little apprehensive so he got comfortable on his side, facing her, gently pushing her down to lay beside him. "Go ta sleep darling." he told her in a gentle voice. 

With his arm wrapped around you, holding you to his chest you slowly relaxed, letting out a sigh. Closing your eyes you listened to the sound of his beating heart, felt the warmth of his body seep into yours. 

Listening as her breathing turned deep, her body going limp against him he grinned softly. Placing a gentle kiss to her temple he felt her face nuzzle into his chest. "Goodnight my darlin'."


	13. Chapter 13

The first thing you noticed as you came to was the strong scent of Edward. That cedar smell mixed with the saltiness of the sea and something that was all him. Parting your still heavy eyes you could make out his chest and neck, some golden strands of hair laying across his skin. There was only a little bit of early morning light but you glanced up to his face to see him still sleeping, his eyes closed and his face relaxed. Smiling at the handsome giant as the memories from last night flooded your mind you felt an immense warmth spread in your chest. He loved you, he had told you he loved you and you loved him. Blushing you let out a soft sigh before going to ease out of the bed, just now realizing you would have to crawl off the end or over top of him since the bed was against the wall on what was apparently your side. However you were quickly stopped when a strong arm pulled you back down. 

Humming he wrapped his arms around the woman and held her to his chest, turning back over to his side. "Too early to get up lass." he told her with his eyes still closed, his voice thick with sleep. 

"Don't you want breakfast?" smiling softly at how cuddly he was being. 

"Mmmmm. Rather have you here in my arms." 

Giggling you pushed your face into his chest and hugged him. With the sound of his strong heart and his soothing warmth you quickly felt yourself falling back asleep but shook your head some and moved to try and wiggle out of his arms, you had things to do today. Hearing a deep groan you sighed as he only tightened his arms, wrapping his legs around your own. "Ed I have to get up." 

"No." 

"I have to. I have to help Mrs. Gia organize her store." 

Lifting his lip he continued holding her, "Why?"

"Because she was telling me and Zella the other day how she hadn't done it in years and how it needed to be done, how she was dreading it because her back and knees ache so much afterwards." you explained. 

"Still doesn't explain why you have to do it." 

Turning him to his back you lifted your head to look down at him. "Because I don't mind and it's the right thing to do." 

Humming he looked up at her. "Old bat's back might not hurt so bad if she hadn't have chased me all over the island when I was little, beating me with the broom." 

Giggling you propped up on his wide chest and looked down at him. "I'm sure you deserved it." 

Tilting his head he smirked, "Probably, I put a skunk in her store once, place stunk for a week." 

"That's so mean." you laughed. 

Chuckling he smiled up at her bed hair and her sparkling eyes, her large smile. Keith had told him once at the bar how he was happy to see her smiling so much now, something apparently she had never done that much before he had showed up. She looked beautiful to him and a swell of pride came over him when he remembered last night. She loved him and he loved her. He had loved her for a while but it was nice to be able to tell her and know his feelings were reprocritated. "What's something bad you have done darling?" 

Humming you tried to think back. "When I was living with my grandparents they used to make fun of me for my hair not being as nice as their family's line so I poured out their shampoo and refilled the bottle up with Nair." Seeing his confusion on the product you grinned, "Hair remover." When his eyes went wide and he laughed you nodded, "Yea it was pretty bad, it didn't even all come off evenly it was like big patches for the both of them... my grandfather had this long goatee and yea that got it too." 

Laughing he smiled up at her. "Is Zella helping you as well?" he asked and saw her nod. "Do you know about what time you will be done?"

"Should be a little after lunch. Why?"

"No reason." he lied. 

"Your sons should be here by tonight shouldn't they?" 

"Yes." Humming he reached up to brush her hair back, stroking her cheek with his thumb. "I'm excited for them to meet you." 

"I'm excited too, a little nervous but excited." you admitted. 

"You don't need to be nervous, they will love you." Seeing her smile softly and look down he knew she still felt nervous and he understood, meeting new people made most people nervous but he also had a hunch she also felt that way because of her own insecurities.

"Maybe I'll just have to make pizza to win them over like I did Marco." you told him and heard him laugh. 

.......................................

Wiping the sweat from your brow you restacked the items on the now clean shelves. Once you were done you stood back and smiled, giving a firm nod. 

"It looks wonderful dear, thank you, both of you." Mrs. Gia spoke. 

Smiling you looked down to the elderly woman. "You're welcome. Glad to be able to help. If you ever need anything else just let me know." 

"Yes." Zella smiled, nodding as well.

Leaving the store you walked back beside Zella towards the market when she said she needed to pick up a few things. Talking about this and that you agreed on the both of you cooking for everyone tonight. Deciding on curry since it was rather easy and could be made into a large batch. You were just in the middle of going over the list with her when you felt a hand wrap around your waist. Startling a bit you snapped your eyes over to see Ed standing there smiling. 

"All done with the store?" he asked and saw both of the women nod. "Good. Mind if I take y/n away Zella dear?" he asked his daughter. 

Smiling Zella looked up to her father in law, "Not at all." 

"I'll be there to help you later okay." you told her and saw her smile and nod. 

Spinning her around he walked her towards the sea. 

"Where are we going?" you asked. 

"It's a secret lass." he told her with a smile, taking her hands and spinning her around to his back. 

Smiling as he carried you you kept your arms wrapped around his neck, his large, warm hands holding your thighs. "So what have you been up to all morning?"

"Helped Marco get things ready for when Izo, Vista and Jozu arrive." 

"Me and Zella are going to make curry for supper." you told him and heard him hum making you smile. You had quickly found out it was one of his favorite foods. 

"Sounds good darlin'." Coming up on the Whaleship he felt her head perk up some. "Hold on."

Tightening your hands you leaned closer into him as he jumped off the rocks and onto the deck of the ship. You still had no idea how he managed to jump so high, even being as large as he was. Once his feet were on the deck he swung you around to his front but didn't put you down. Now even with his eyes you smiled softly, a light blush coming to your face at the way he was looking at you. "You know, you keep carrying me around all the time and people will think I'm a cripple." you joked. 

"Let em' think whatever they want. I hold you because I'm afraid if I let go I'll wake up and you will have been nothing but a dream."

Hearing his sweet words made that fluttering in your chest increase tenfold and before you could think twice you were pressing a kiss to his cheek. Realizing what you had done you pulled away and kept your eyes from his. Swallowing hard you chanced a glance up to his face and saw he was still looking at you, his warm yellow eyes now softer if possible. "I won't disappear until you want me to." 

"That's never gonna happen." he assured her in a deep voice. Seeing her give him that gentle smile he sighed. Remembering what he had planned he carried her over to the middle of the deck and set her down but kept his hand on her back. 

Looking over the top deck of the ship you grinned then looked up at him. "So the Moby Dick was kinda like this one?"

Nodding he looked down to her at his side. "For the most part, the Moby Dick was larger and the whale on the front was white instead of blue. This one is also a paddleship where mine wasn't." Seeing her nod he took a deep breath as the memories came back to him, the memories of that day. When he heard her speaking he snapped out of his thoughts and looked down to see a look of concern on her beautiful face. 

"You okay?" you asked him, worried when he had zoned out and a darkness overcame his eyes. 

Taking a deep breath he nodded. "Just a lot of memories lass. Now what was it you asked before?"

Still looking at him for a moment you saw that light return and turned your eyes back to the ship. "I asked if most ships have the same layout?"

"Depends really, I've come across some that are completely different but all of mine mostly had the same." Glancing up to the deck and then back down to her he smiled, "Come on, I'll give you the tour." he told her and saw her smile. 

For the next hour he showed you around the ship. He took you all over the deck, telling you what each thing did before you both moved bellow deck. Seeing the cargo hold which you noted was full of barrels and wooden crates along with cloth bags you were walking around with him when something bumped your foot. Reaching down you picked it up and saw it was a coconut and grinned before holding out for him to take. 

"I told them boys to stop leaving shit out like that." he grumbled, finding the create with the coconuts in it and dropping it back inside. Turning back he saw her smiling and grinned. "What?"

"Nothing. You just... well you sound like a dad." you told him with a smile that grew hen you saw him blush lightly. Feeling his large hand come back to your back, taking up the whole lower half you walked with him towards another area. There was the brig which he told you mostly stayed empty.

"I used to lock the boys in there though if they started fussing too much, made em' stay in there until they sorted it out." he told her and heard her laugh.

The large room on the second deck held a mess hall where everyone ate, beside it being the kitchen. There was the crew quarters, a large room filled with bunkbeds and dressers. A floor that he referred to as the gun room, cannons and such lining the walls. Other rooms were here and there each having their own purpose until he opened the door to a room in the back of the ship...

"And this is the captain's quarters." opening the door and allowing her to step inside before he moved in behind her. He had already looked over the ship the week they had arrived back in his world so he knew everything was in order. 

Looking over the large room you saw a desk, a couch, a wardrobe and a large bed. They were all made of the same dark wood, the couch a deep blue color matching the bedding. It was all simple but nice. "Was your cabin like this as well?" you asked as you looked at everything, your eyes finding refuge on the wall that held many built in shelves lined with books and other things. 

"For the most part. Bed was a bit bigger and I had a little more things inside." he told her. Looking down at her he saw her eyes looking over it all, taking it in. When her eyes looked to the bookcase he saw delight fill them and grinned, he knew she loved books. Oddly though he noticed her stay right where she had been standing beside him and tilted his head. She had been the same way in his home, she never went out of her way to touch anything other than when she was straightening up. Now that he thought of it if someone was to go into his home they wouldn't even be able to tell she lived there. Did she not feel comfortable? He knew that she had never been welcome anywhere growing up and now that he thought back he realized she never called her own house, home. She had always referred to it as 'the house'. He didn't want her to feel like that with him. He wanted his home to be their home. He knew her well enough to know that he couldn't just tell her that though. Blinking he saw her still looking to the books and placed his hand on her back to give her a small push forward. 

Looking to him when he pushed you, you saw him with his head tilted forward a bit and a relaxed grin on his face. Turning back to the books you slowly walked over to them and read over the different colored spines. 

Seeing her so caught up with the books he chuckled softly and moved over to sit in the chair at the desk. Glancing over the paperwork there he was looking at the maps when he saw her out of the corner of his eye walking towards him. Seeing her holding a book he rose a brow, "What caught your attention darling?" 

Walking over to him you held out the green book and went to tell him when you were lifted up and placed down on his lap. Feeling your cheeks and neck catch fire you raised your eyes to him and saw him just grinning like he was. Feeling a warmth in your pelvis you bit the inside of your lip. Swallowing thickly you tucked a strand of hair behind your ear and looked down to the book, holding it out for him to take. 

"The history of the underwater world" he read aloud. This one wasn't his, must have been one of his sons'. Humming he held it back to her. "Fishman Island has a interesting history, should be a good read." 

"Fishman Island?"

"An island at the bottom of the sea, it's where the fishmen and mer race live." 

Smiling you took hold of the book but kept your eyes on him. "Mer race, like mermaids? Your son Namur is a fishman right? Have you ever ben there? What's it like?"

Chuckling at her interest he wrapped his arm around her, placing his hand on her hip and pulling her more into him. She had relaxed now, her eyes shining in excitement as she looked to him. "Yes lass, mermaid and fishmen alike live there. Namur is a whitetip shark fishman, all of them can be different types. Been there many times, in fact it used to be one of my territories..." 

.........................

Getting out plates and such you set the table, your hands shaking. Marco had went to meet his brothers at the port while Zella had went to make other arrangements. From what Marco had said he thought it would be best if he had a moment to talk to his brothers before he brought them over to see their alive father. So here you were trying to help get everything set up so all of you could have supper. Ed had went to take a shower after you had said you had everything under control. Truthfully you were still very nervous about meeting three more of his sons. Even more so now that the both of you had confessed your love to one another. You weren't sure if Marco knew yet, if Ed had told him anything but he had at least been able to meet you before hand. Ed had said that they would love you but he couldn't know for sure. If they didn't like you, you weren't sure what you would do. You would never make him choose between his family and you. No. If for some reason they didn't like you or you being here made things awkward then you would have no choice but to leave. Just the thought made your heart constrict painfully and your eyes water a little. Closing your eyes you took a deep breath, silently begging that they liked you. 

Quickly looking over everything you made sure everything was perfect before going back into the kitchen to wash up the few dishes. So caught up in your thoughts you didn't hear the door open or the voices before a very deep voice spoke, startling you and making your hands jerk, the knife you had been washing slicing open your palm. 

"Who the hell are you?" 

Snapping your eyes behind you to the opening you saw a group of men there, Edward's sons. Quickly grabbing the rag to wrap around your hand you clenched it in a tight fist and held it behind your back. Knowing them from the pictures you knew the tall one was Jozu, Izo was the one dressed in the kimono and vista had the curled mustache. Quickly noting that Marco wasn't with them nor Zella you looked to all of their confused and possibly angry faces. Instantly all of your self doubts came smashing back into your mind and you felt your heart hammer in your chest. 

"Who are you and what are you doing in our pop's house?" Jozu asked in a gruff voice. 

Swallowing hard you opened your mouth to speak when you were cut off, this time by Vista. 

"Jozu don't be so gruff with the young lady..."

"Shut it Vista. I want to know who she thinks she is making herself at home in our late father's house." 

"I agree I would like to know whos she is." Izo spoke. 

"Is this what Marco said he needed to speak to us about?"

"Maybe that's why he didn't want us coming in yet..."

Looking from one to the other as they spoke you licked your lips. 

"I don't care who she is I don't want her staying here." 

Curling up a bit you could feel your hands starting to shake again, it was what you were afraid of, they didn't like you. 

"What is your name?"

"Jozu you're scaring the poor girl."

"M...my name is..." you started in a whisper but were cut off again. 

"Speak up woman..."

"THAT IS ENOUGH!"

Snapping your eyes over to where the voice had come from behind them you saw Ed standing there. He stood tall, his large arms crossed over his wide chest that was bare per usual, his damp hair falling down his shoulders. He wore his tan pants with his scarf tied about his waste but his feet you noticed were bare. Looking back up to his face you saw his brows and lips set in a firm line. His yellow eyes were still warm but there was also this edge about them. He looked dangerous and you found yourself blushing as you realized the warmth settling in your pelvis. 

"P...pops?" The three said in unison, their voices breaking.

"I told you three to wait a damn minute!" Marco grumbled.

"That's not..."

"How..."

"No... no it can't be..."

"Maybe he's a zombie?"

"He can't be a zombie he's not even old anymore."

Hearing his sons all start conversating with themselves and then turning on Marco he rolled his eyes and looked back to see her still standing by the sink. She looked stiff and her eyes were focused on the floor. Taking a breath he walked across the room, past the men still bickering and over in front of her. Curling his finger under her chin he lifted her eyes to his. 

Slowly raising your eyes to his you took notice of the drops of water running from his hair. Seeing it go over his extremely toned chest you felt that warmth turn into a tingling that dropped between your thighs and swallowed hard. No. No, bad y/n. Meeting his yellow eyes you saw him simply stare at you for sometime, like he was reading you. Feeling his warm, calloused thumb brush your jaw and cheek you gave him a small grin. 

Returning her grin he moved his hand down to her lower back and stood beside her before looking back at his sons. "Are you all done then?" he asked them. When they all stopped and turned to look to him he saw Marco move to lean against the wall, Zella moving to stand beside him.

Relaxing a bit when Ed stood beside you, pulling you into his side some you moved your hands in front of you, glancing down to the towel and seeing the blood had thankfully not soaked through. Still holding it in your hand to hide your stupid injury you looked back to the group of men as Ed spoke.

Raising his chin he looked to each of their faces and smiled. "Now I am sure you all have plenty of questions that I will answer over supper. To answer your first question Jozu this here is my lass, her name is Y/n and she saved me." Feeling her eyes lift to his he rubbed her back with his thumb. 


	14. Chapter 14

Sitting quietly in your chair beside Ed you listened as they all spoke, Ed telling his sons what had happened when he had arrived in your world. You couldn't help but blush when he talked so fondly of you, telling his sons how you had helped him, taken care of him. 

"Then it would seem we are in your debt Y/n. Thank you for helping our pops." Izo spoke to the woman who had remained quiet throughout dinner. 

Looking to the man you shook your head. "Oh no, it's okay really it was no problem I..."

"It's okay Y/n you don't have to lie to us, we know how much of a handful the old man can be." Marco said making his brothers laugh. 

"Agreed, I think we should congratulate her on not killing him in his sleep." Vista grinned. 

"I am not that bad." He grumbled when he saw them all laughing. Looking beside him he even saw his lass giggling lightly at his son's teasing of him. All in all though he couldn't be mad, it was nice having some of his family all together again, even more so now that Y/n was here with him. Chewing a bite of his food he watched and listened as they went about asking Y/n about her world. Already his son's were starting to warm up to her and the sight made him smile softly. 

........................

After supper you and Zella had moved to clean up while the men all talked and caught up. It made your heart warm to see Ed happy with his sons. Once everything was all tidy Zella had told you she was calling it a night. She had been very sleepy the past few days and while you wanted to ask her if she was okay you also didn't want to seem nosey. Drying all the dishes and putting them away you looked over everything and sighed. Walking out of the kitchen and into the living room you saw no one here as well, you could hear their voices from outside though and guessed they were all out there. Not wanting to intrude on their family time you looked down to your hand which you had successfully kept hidden the whole night. Walking to the guest bathroom you closed the door and finally unwrapped the dishcloth from it. Looking down at the bloody cut you winced. It wasn't that long, only half of your palm length, going from the middle of your palm to the space between your thumb and forefinger. It was decently deep though, especially the skin between your fingers. Setting the bloody dishrag in the sink you turned on the hot water and filled the sink so you could let it soak. Turning on the shower you pulled off your clothes, trying your best not to get any blood on them as well. Stepping into the shower you rinsed your hand, grabbing the soap you started washing, biting your lip and whimpering when it felt like you had poured salt into your wound. Washing your hair was annoying as well but you made it work. Quickly shaving and then getting out you grabbed a towel and started drying off.

Opening the closet door you moved to grab your clothes from the basket but when you looked down to the floor where they had bene you saw nothing there. "What... where..." you said out loud. Knitting your brows you looked all in the closet but didn't find anything but the spare towels and washing machine. Where the hell were your clothes? You had just did laundry the other day so you knew they weren't dirty. So where the hell... Ed. Closing the door you wrapped the towel tightly around you, thankful they were made for his size. Running your fingers through your hair when you also noticed your hairbrush not in the drawer or any of your other items he had bought you you sighed. Opening the door you peeked out to see no one in the house. Licking your lips you walked towards his bedroom which was the only other place you could think your things would be. Glancing around the room you tried to locate your basket. Seeing it on the dresser you moved over to it but saw it empty. "Where in the hell..."

"Darlin' are you back..." 

Freezing when you heard his voice you looked up to the door to see him standing in the doorway, looking at you. Snapping your eyes down you felt your face, ears and neck catch fire. 

"...here." he finished. Seeing her standing by the dresser in nothing but a towel he closed his mouth when he realized it was still open. The white towel that she had wrapped around her ended at her knees. While it revealed nothing but her lower legs, shoulders and arms he felt his manhood twitch all the same. She was naked, the only thing on her being a towel. 

God you were so embarrassed. You both had only slept in the same bed for one night and now here you were just walking around his bedroom in nothing but a damn towel. What the hell would he think of you? "C..clothes?" you asked in a whisper. 

She wouldn't look up at him but he could see the tips of her ears sticking out of her wet hair and noticed the blush on them immediately. "Right." Walking over to the dresser he opened the drawers where he had put her clothes in with his. Grabbing the black lace panties that she had on when they came here he clenched his teeth when his imagination decided to take over. 'NO'. Shutting the drawer he moved down to the next and grabbed one of his shirts that she was keen on wearing for a nightgown. Black lace panties and his shirt. God his pants were already tightening at the thought. Taking a deep breath he went to hand them over to her. "Here ya go lass." he said, his voice deeper than usual. 

Keeping your eyes down some you went to take your clothes when he suddenly grabbed your wrist. 

"What's that?" 

Remembering your cut palm you looked up to him and shook your head some, "Nothing." 

Refusing to let go of her wrist he turned her hand up and knit his brows when he saw the deep cut on her palm. "Sure does look like something to me darling. What happened?"

"I just nicked it when I was washing dishes earlier." you told him. 

Humming he frowned. "This is more than a little nick lass. Why didn't you say something about, did Zella see it, she could have said something to Marco." 

"No she didn't see it, it happened before..."

"Before when?" he asked and then shook his head and looked to her eyes, "Before supper? You did this before supper and you didn't say anything?" he asked in a disapproving voice. Now that he thought back he did think it was strange she had been keeping her hand under the table in her lap. 

Sighing you took your clothes and moved towards his bathroom to dress. "It's fine Ed." 

Walking behind her he crossed his arms over his chest. "Until it gets infected." 

"It's not going to get infected, I cleaned it." you told him, pushing the door closed so you could dress. 

Standing just outside of the door he waited for her to dress which only took a moment. Once the door opened and she went to step out he moved forward, scooping her up and sitting her down on the bathroom counter. "That's what everyone says. Trust me I have seen my fare share of injuries, little cuts that no one thought nothing of until it turns septic and then has to be chopped off." 

Listening to his lecture you watched as he moved to grab something from under the vanity. Seeing him set a first aid kit on the counter next to you, you looked up to him. Placing your hand in his when he held it out for you. "How did you get those scars from your pictures, the ones on your chest?"

Beginning to clean the cut with alcohol he saw her fingers twitch but not snatch away. "Different battles. One from my old Captain, Rocks. Got one from fighting Roger and another from an old crewmate, Shikki." grabbing the roll of bandages and tape he applied a bit of cream to it to both help with pain and quick healing. "What about you, any scars on that pretty body?" 

Blushing again you saw him noticed this time and heard him chuckle lightly. "That gunshot one..." you started but heard him grunt. 

"Don't like the story of that one." he growled under his breath. 

"I do, that's the night I got to come here with you." 

Seeing her smiling softly at him he sighed. "While that may be true, it still should have never happened." taping down the bandage he lifted her up again to take her to their bed, cutting off the light to both the bathroom and bedroom on the way. Sitting on the bed he rested against the headboard with his feet stretched out and her straddling his lap. "Anymore?" he asked, knowing if he wanted her to relax he needed to keep her talking. There wasn't any light but that of the candle on the side table but he could still tell she was blushing. 

Humming you tried to focus on the question he asked and not the fact you were currently straddling the lap of the man you loved. "Um well there's the one where Smoke bit me."

Looking down to her leg where she was looking he tilted his head at the faint scar on her thigh. Licking his lips he moved his thumb under the hem of his shirt and pushed it higher up her left leg, feeling heat pool to his pelvis at the feel of her soft skin. Seeing the bite there he huffed. "He got you good didn't he?" It wasn't a nasty scar but he could tell by each individual mark that the wolf had sunk his teeth in deep. 

"Yea." you sighed. 

Stroking her thigh with his thumb he glanced over the rest of her skin, looking for any other scars. "That it?"

"n..No. I have a 'W' on my right hip from where Keith branded me." you told him, having to steady yourself, the feel of his warm hands on your thighs making that tingling come back. 

"He branded you?" he asked in a deep voice, a frown on his face as he lifted his eyes to hers. 

"He didn't do it intentionally. He was making that new sign at Mel's bar for his dad and kept messing around. The letters that you use to burn the wood, he kept poking the 'M' towards me asking if it was hot. He wasn't trying to actually touch me with it but Trish came in and bumped into me and well yea." Seeing his brows knit together you took a deep breath, "It was definitely hot. Burnt straight through my shirt and everything. Keith felt horrible for it, he bought me dinner for the next week." 

Looking down to her hip he thought for a moment before asking, "Can I see?"

Swallowing hard you felt your heart beat a little faster as you lifted the bottom of the shirt up enough to show him the 'W' over your left hip bone. 

Forcing his eyes to focus on her hip and not the part of her covered by black lace that he wanted so desperately to look at he indeed saw the 'W' scar on her skin. He didn't like the idea of her being hurt like that and furrowed his brows. Rubbing his hand up her thigh and hip he held her with his hand over her side, feeling the material of her panties under the bottom part of his palm. Genty tracing the mark with his thumb he swallowed hard when his eyes dropped to the apex of her thighs for a fraction of a second. Instantly he knew that was a bad idea when he felt his cock come to life. Fuck he could make out the silhouette of her womanhood through the weblike pattern. Raising his knees some and spreading his legs so it wouldn't become too obvious he was aroused he held her steady as she slipped forward. Catching sight of the scar on her chest when his shirt moved some he furrowed his brows. Keeping his one hand under th ebottom of the shirt on her hip he raised his other one to touch the circular scar. It wasn't too bad since Marco had healed her with ihs power but it would probably stay there for the remainder of her life. To him it would be a constant reminder of how she had saved him, while noble he couldn't get the image of her lifeless body out of his head. Even now it made his heart clench painfully. 

Seeing his brows and lips turn into a firm line as he looked to the scar on your chest you gently took hold of his hand that was stroking the area. Looking into his warm yellow eyes as when they lifted to yours you watched his face relax. 

"Why did you run after that man lass? You knew he had a gun, knew that he wouldn't care if you got hurt." he asked her and saw her eyes shoot down. 

"He took all the money that was in the safe, that was everything Mel had..." you shrugged.

"Money isn't that important darling." 

"Mel is sick, he's dying. I know money isn't the most important thing in life but when they were barely making it as it was that money could have meant life or death for him when it was paying for his medicine. After everything that family did for me I couldn't just sit there and let that asshole take everything from them like that."

Hearing this he sighed softly, stroking her hip with his thumb. He fell more and more in love with her everyday. "How the hell did this old pirate get lucky enough to have an angel like you as his soulmate?" he spoke in a low voice. 

"Soulmate?" 

Just realizing what he had said he blinked and felt his mouth go dry. "Ah... well yes..." Clearing his throat he tried to think of a way to explain their destined love to her. "You see lass here in this world soulmates are a thing... a ah... a natural connection. Not everyone has them but some get lucky enough. It's when two people are destined to be with each other and they have this... well this pull and..." Seeing her smile grow and her teeth bit down on her lip some he stopped, feeling a blush over his cheeks and neck. 

"It's okay Ed, Zella explained them to me last week." seeing him furrow his brows as he looked down to you, you grinned nervously. "I wasn't sure you felt the same way and I didn't want to lose you so I never said anything."

She had been afraid he wouldn't love her back. She felt their connection as well? The knowledge made him smile. Still he could tell she was a bit nervous. "So you knew what they were and still you let me suffer through that horrible explanation like an idiot." 

Seeing him cut his eyes at you playfully, a smile still present on his lips you tilted your head. "It was fun to watch you be the nervous wreak for a change." you admitted with a small shrug.

Growling he grinned as he quickly wrapped his arm around her and flipped her to the bed, holding himself up above her while her hands held onto his back and shoulder. Gazing down at her sparkling eyes he felt that swelling in his heart and sighed softly. "Never thought I'd experience that whole feeling that comes with having a soulmate. My entire life I've always felt like there was something missing. Ever since I was a kid the only thing I've ever wanted was a family. I gathered many sons and daughters over the years, children of the sea that I called my own but it wasn't enough. There was still some part of me that was missing and I could never find that lost piece. When I died in Marrieford I accepted that it would be a mystery that would never be solved. But to my surprise my story wasn't over. I was found by the very person I had spent my whole life trying to find. I knew from the first time I saw you that you were the one, that you were meant to be mine. I don't know which higher power was looking out for me but I thank them for finally allowing our paths to cross." His heart was hammering so hard against his ribcage he was sure it would soon burst from his chest. "Lass you make me feel complete, I will love you forever. Long after the seas dry up and the stars fade in the sky." He was so nervous he thought he might have another heart attack. Staring into her eyes he licked his dry lips. "I promise to care for you. You will be the only woman I ever love. I'll provide for ya and you'll never want for anything..."

"Ed.." 

"Darling I don't have a ring to give ya, not yet at least but I..." Taking a deep breath he swallowed hard. "I'll get you one, anyone you want. I can't wait till then, not a moment longer, I have to ask you now. Will ya marry me lass?"

Four months, three weeks and six days. That's how long it had been since you had found him on the shore of the lake. It wasn't that long really but you felt like you had known him your whole life. Even from the beginning he had always felt like this old friend who had just shown back up from out of nowhere. Somewhere along those few months you had fell head over heels for him but you had said nothing. So afraid that he would soon toss you aside like everyone else had you had distanced yourself as much as possible even when it made your heart ache terribly. He was patient with you, he listened. He made you laugh and cry and he was right about feeling whole because not once in your life had you ever been so happy than you were when you were with him. Almost five months, most would probably say that that wasn't long enough to know a person to marry them but to you, that was all the time you needed. 

Looking up into those warm yellow eyes you smiled, your eyes tearing up a bit. "Yes."

As soon as the word was out of her mouth he felt his face break into what had to be the biggest smile of his life. Without a moment's hesitation he lowered his body to hers, finally claiming her lips. Just as he suspected her lips were soft and smooth. A light sigh left his nose at being able to finally kiss her. Thankfully this time Marco wasn't here to interpret either. There was this strong pulling in his chest that turned into a comfortable warmth as he allowed his body to lower just above hers, still careful not to crush her. She had tensed the tiniest amount when their lips first met but quickly she had relaxed. 

He was kissing you. You were getting your first kiss and it was so incredible. God his lips were so warm and only a bit rougher than your own. You could feel the slight scruff on his upper lip but it didn't bother you. Then there was the heat of his huge body laying over yours and that strange tugging that had turned into a comforting warmth. You could die happy right here and now. The hand holding your hip was gently messaging you while the one wrapped under your head made you feel secure and safe. When the need for air became desperate and he pulled away some you looked up into his soft eyes, his hair falling around the both of your faces making the moment even more intimate. 

"...so what'd she say?"

"Yes of course!" 

"I told you she would." 

"Way to go Pops."

Hearing voices from outside of the window you peeked around his massive arm to look out of the window, you couldn't see anything because of the drawn curtains but when Ed let out a deep growl you knew someone was there. 

Letting go of her hip he grabbed one of the pillows and threw it towards the window his sons were standing by. "If you four don't get the hell out of here I'll toss you all to the sea!"

"He does realize we are on land right?"

"Is that a challenge?!"

Giggling through it all you quickly wrapped your arms around his neck when he went to move. 

Being pulled back down by his little woman he didn't get to say a word before her lips pushed their way back to his. "Overgrown children." he grumbled around her lips and heard her giggle lightly. Continuing to hold himself up with one arm he moved his free hand over to the table to pinch out the wick. Maybe if the room was dark his sons would get the hint to leave them alone. 

..................................

"So what is it for?" Izo asked.

Seeing the three men looking to your phone you tilted your head, "Um well in my world people use them to call one another, like the den den's here. You can also use it to read books on, there's a calculator, a flashlight, a camera..." Showing them each feature you saw their brows raise when you turned on the flashlight. Taking a picture of the three of them you turned it around to show them and saw Vista smile. "Really there is a whole bunch of stuff on it. I can't make calls on it anymore since I'm here but I can still read some books on it and listen to music."

"Music?" Jozu asked. 

Humming you nodded and brought up your music list. Tapping on a song you saw them all look to it in amazement when the song started playing. 

_"You'll soon be hearing the chime  
_ _Close to midnight  
_ _If I could turn back the time  
_ _I'd make all right_

_How could it end like this?  
_ _There's a sting in the way you kiss me  
_ _Something within your eyes  
_ _Said it could be the last time  
_ _Fore it's over!_

_Just wanna be  
_ _Wanna bewitch you in the moonlight  
_ _Just wanna be  
_ _I wanna bewitch you all night..."_

"I want one of those." Vista said. 

Giggling you held it out for him to take. "Here ya'll knock yourself out. I have to go pick up some stuff from town for supper anyway. Just don't hit anything that says delete okay." When they all nodded but kept their eyes on the phone you smiled again and stood. 

Walking from around the house he looked to see Izo, Vista and Jozu all sitting on the ground playing with his soon to be wife's phone. Wife, the thought of being able to call her that made his chest swell with pride. Hearing the music playing from her phone he chuckled at the smile on his sons faces. Looking down at them with his arms crossed over his chest he chuckled. "So I see y/n has shown you her phone." 

"This thing is amazing. Look at all the books she has.."

"There is over three hundred songs on it as well." Izo added. 

"Yea she loves reading and music." he grinned.

"Marco said she likes cooking too." Jozu spoke.

"I bet Thatch would have liked her." Vista grinned.

"Ace too." 

Sighing his grin turned bittersweet, he would have loved for her to meet the both of his fallen sons. He knew for a fact they both would have loved her. Looking to them all again he raised his brows, "Do any of you happen to know where it is my lass has run off to?"

"Yea, she said she had to go into town to get stuff for supper." 

"Let us borrow her phone while she was gone." 

Humming he nodded, "Don't break it." 

"Yea, yea." 

Huffing out he started towards town. Looking all over for her he didn't find her anywhere and when he finally asked around they said she had already left a little while ago. Knitting his brows he stood in though, if she had already left then he would have met her on the way back home but he hadn't. So where was she? Deciding to let his heart lead the way he started walking out of town and towards the entrance to the town. If she was going to get groceries then why would she need to come out here? Going up the hill and towards the ruins of the old town he had grew up in he looked across to the edge of the cliff where his and Ace's grave was. He had been to it a few times to talk to his son but he found it strange looking at his own headstone. A part of him wondered if there was anything buried there? Marco had told him that they had buried him, hell even that red head had helped but if he was here now was that body now gone or was this a whole new one? As tempted as he was to dig it up he figured he was better off not knowing. 

Getting closer to the top he saw her h/c hair blowing in the breeze and knit his brows, what was she doing up here? Going to call out to her he stopped when he saw someone standing by her, the two of them looking to be speaking. Realizing who it was he clenched his teeth and marched a little faster towards them. As soon as he was close enough he saw Garps eyes shoot to him, his brows raising. Moving y/n behind him he stared down at the man, "What the hell are you doing here Garp?"

"What am I doing here, what the hell are you doing here? You're supposed to be dead damnit! And why are you young again?!" Garp yelled. "Wait a minute, am I dead? Did I die and for some godforsaken reason end up in the same place as you? If I did die how come I'm still old?"

"You're going to be dead if you don't get off my damn island!" 

"Go to hell Newgate, I'm here to see Ace..."

"NO! You don't get to pay your respects to my son..."

"He was my damn grandson before he was one of your sons!"

"Don't act like you care so much about him now, you let him die!"

"Ace made his choice, he became a pirate and then he joined up with you! I warned him but he wouldn't listen!" The marine yelled, his face turning red and his veins sticking out in his forehead. 

"What a load of crap! That boy had a target on his back before he was even born! For being Roger's son, something he couldn't even control. Yea he became a pirate and he was a damn good one. Much like that other grandson of yours, that strawhat brat. Are you gonna sit back and watch him die too?!"

"Don't you bring Luffy into this!" Garp growled, his voice dropping even more.

Clenching his fists he sensed his sons coming up behind him. "Take Y/n back home." he spoke in a deep voice, never ceasing his intense stare down with Garp. 

Having stayed behind him the whole time you felt your heart hammering as Ed and the man you had just met who you had heard Ed call Garp argued. You had never seen him so angry looking other than the time he had saved you from that man. There seemed to be this intense aroura coming off both men and it made you nervous. Hearing Marco and the others come up behind you and then Ed tell them to take you back home you furrowed your brows. Tightening your grip on his arm that had been holding you behind his bulk frame you swallowed hard and looked up to the back to his head. "Ed..."

Seeing Garp's eyes glance to the woman behind him he felt his lip lift into a snarl. Giving her hip a small squeeze he rose his chin, "Jozu." he called, knowing the man was bigger than her. 

Being pulled away from him by Jozu no doubt you tried holding onto his arm but he let your hands slip away. Watching as Izo moved to grab the bags left by his father's feet you looked between the two men. "N..."

"It's best to stay out of it Y/n." Marco told her, taking hold of her other hand while Jozu held her arm to pull her back towards the safety of their father's home. 

Getting past the waterfall you heard a loud slam and then a smack, the ground shaking a bit and making you gasp. "B...but will he be okay?" you asked trying to stop and look back towards the man you loved. Yes the other man was smaller but you still didn't want your Ed to get hurt. 

Laughing along with the rest of his brothers Vista pat her arm, "Oh don't you worry about pops Y/n. He didn't get the title of strongest man in the world for nothing."

"Yea and pops never backs down from a fight." Jozu huffed.

Blinking you looked to Vista with wide eyes. "Strongest man in the world?" surely he had to be exaggerating. Seeing them all nod proudly though you could only open and close your mouth, turning your head back to see a cloud of dust flying up here and there, the loud noises still echoing from where you had left. Just who and the hell were you going to marry? You knew Edward but maybe it was time to learn who Whitebeard was.


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Angst here we come.

Walking across the hill he looked to his home to see most of the lights off and sighed, she was probably already asleep. After having a long fight with Garp, the both of them getting their frustrations out the two had finally yielded and took time to talk. Garp told him how Roger had requested to see him when he was locked up and asked him to take care of his son. He told him how he had wanted him to be a marine if only to help keep him safe. They spoke about Ace's brother Luffy, Garp's grandson by blood and how Garp had no idea where he was. He could see it sorrow in his eyes as he told him he didn't even know if he was alive. 

_"Luffy loved Ace more than anything in this world."_

In the end Garp had agreed to keep his new life an existence...

_"Whitebeard is dead. I found myself a woman, my soulmate and soon I will make her my wife. I want only to have a life with her."_

Garp had chuckled lowly at that and nodded. 

_"I'm retired now anyways, do what you wish...."_

The two had parted with him turning back to tell Garp that he didn't believe Luffy was dead... 

_"That boy is too stubborn to die, much like his grandfather. If everything Ace told me about him is true then I'd wager he will be the one to take on Roger's legacy, he'll be the next king."_

Going towards the door he stopped when he heard a voice speak not to far from him.

"She was worried about you, you know. Couldn't get her to eat much."

Looking towards the side of the house he saw Marco standing there with a bottle of what looked like sake. Turning to face him he took the bottle when his son held it out for him. "She had no reason to worry." he said before swallowing down his favorite drink. 

"She loves you, I'd say that's reason enough." he grinned.

Humming he leaned back against the house. "And why is you are up so late? You weren't worried too were you?" 

"Nah, I know you can take care of yourself." Marco chuckled. "No I was just up with Zel, she keeps getting sick." 

"Sick? Something wrong with her?" he asked, worried about his new daughter.

"No. Nothing wrong. Nausea is a natural symptom of early pregnancy." 

Feeling his eyes go wide he blinked and looked to the smaller man "Preg.." 

Seeing his father's reaction he chuckled. "Well we were going to tell everyone at supper but the main person I wanted to tell wasn't there." he said with a raised brow. Softening his expression to a grin he looked up to his pops and sighed, "You're going to be a grandfather." Tilting his head he rubbed the back of his head, "Now how I'm going to explain why their father looks twice the age of their grandfather I haven't figured out yet." he chuckled. 

Smiling and then laughing he pat his son's back, "Congratulations my son. I am so happy for the both of you." 

"Thanks Pops." he smiled. Seeing the lights suddenly come on in his own home he sighed. "Well duty calls... again." 

Chuckling he nodded. "I'll see you tomorrow, Congratulations." Watching Marco make his way back into his home he smiled, his son was going to be a father. Turning the knob on his own door he stepped inside and closed it. Looking to the living room he saw it empty and clean. Stepping towards the kitchen he saw a plate of food left out for him and grinned softly. Eating his supper he thought about what Marco had said about not being able to get y/n to eat much. It was a strange feeling knowing he had someone that worried about him. Yes his sons constantly got on him before about his health, taking his medicine and drinking but this was different. 

Finishing his plate he set it in the sink and cut off the light to move to the bedroom. Entering the room he looked over to the bed to see a small light on by her. Standing over her he gazed down to see her sleeping soundly, her small body cured up. The light was coming from her phone and hearing the soft playing music through her headphones he lifted his hand to brush back the hair that had fell to her face. Hearing her sigh and seeing her curl up more he smiled fondly. Pulling up the blanket he moved to walk away to go shower when she wrapped her fingers around one of his. Looking back down to her he saw her turning over to look up at him with sleepy eyes. "Go back to sleep darlin'." 

Blinking you looked up at the huge man and furrowed your brows. "You're hurt." 

Hearing her soft voice he felt that warmth in his chest. He knew he had a few bruises and such, even in his old age Garp wasn't someone to take lightly. "Nothing I can't handle lass. You go on back to sleep." he told her in a deep voice. She only narrowed her eyes at him and refused to release his finger. Without another word she was sitting up from the bed and hopping off to go to the bathroom. Knitting his brows he went to follow her but after only two steps she was walking back out and when he looked to her hands he saw she was holding the first aid kit. Shaking his head he looked down to her as she walked towards him, again wearing only one of his shirts and most likely panties. "Now lass none of that is..."

"Sit." 

"Darli..."

"Edward." 

Hearing no room for negotiation in her voice he snapped his mouth shut and stepped back to sit on the edge of the bed. Feeling her remove his bandana and then set about cleaning the cuts and scrapes on his face he let out a contempt sigh. Looking down over her body he grinned slightly, reaching forward to grip his shirt and tug her to stand between his knees. Rubbing his hands over her hips and thighs he looked tried to look to her but felt her turn his head left to address the cut on his temple. Chuckling he looked over the room. "Is this how it's gonna be darlin', I'ma come home and be bossed around by my little wife?"

"Only when you've been hurt." you told him, cleaning the blood from his handsome face. 

Laughing lightly he pressed his thumbs into her waist and rolled them to massage her. "Getting hurt comes with the life of a pirate lass." 

Humming you grinned as you finished up. "Then I'll be here to patch you up." 

Smiling he lifted her up to straddle his lap and pushed his lips to hers. Pushing his hands under the shirt to rub her bare back a low growl rumbled in his chest, his cock twitching to life. He couldn't wait until he could finally touch all of her, see all of her. 

Kissing him back you felt a throbbing between your thighs and held onto his hard shoulders. His hands felt so good. Warm and slightly calloused they sent what felt like a a surge go down you spine. 

Ending the kiss before he could get too carried away he pulled back and looked down at her with a soft grin that she returned. Turning to lay her back on the bed he pecked her lips. "I'ma go shower lass." Seeing her nod he pecked her lips once more before standing. It didn't take him long to wash up. Pulling on his lounge pants he walked out to join his betrothed in bed. "Ahhh." 

Giggling softly when he laid beside you, you crawled over to cuddle up to him, laying on his chest and listening to his thumping heart. Helping him pull the blankets to cover the both of you, you nuzzled his chest. 

"Got to wondering today lass, what do those places you wanted to see in your world look like?" 

Keeping your eyes closed as he rubbed your back you thought to your list. "Um well the Niagara falls has these really big waterfalls, it was one of the most famous waterfalls in my world."

Humming he rubbed her back, "Another one." 

"Grand canon, It's a well it's a big hole in the ground."

"A hole. You wanted to see a hole." 

"Well it's.. hold on, let's make this easier." Grabbing your phone from beside you you pulled up your pictures and turned to the phone to him to show him a picture of the Falls and then the 'hole'. "See." 

Looking over the pictures he hummed again, trying to think of a place in this world that was like either of those. Looking over the next few pictures of places she scrolled past one that he noticed was a picture of her and grabbed her hand, mimicking the motion she made to go back to it. "Wait... is that you?" he asked. 

"Yea, that was when I first started at the bar." 

Looking to the picture of her when she was younger he couldn't help the slight kniting of his brows when he noticed how skinny she had been, her cheeks completely hollowed out. He knew that she had been close to starving when Garth had found her. Scrolling through the other pictures he saw ones of animals that she had helped and some of other things like the view from the top of a mountain, the one here. Seeing some of his sons and then ones of him with them he smiled. He hadn't even known she had taken them. Thinking he looked down to her and clicked the little camera. Seeing a bright light show up he squinted his eyes at first but then saw both him and her on the screen. 

"Ah. Ed no." Quickly pulling the blanket up over your face you felt him try to pull it away. 

"Take a picture with me darlin'." 

"Wait till tomorrow, when I don't look as much a mess." 

Pulling the covers from her he smiled, "You can never look a mess."

Hearing the camera go off you tried to hide in his neck, making him chuckle. 

"Come on sweetheart let me see that pretty smile." Moving his hand to her side he wiggled his fingers and heard her let out a yelp before she started laughing. 

"Ahhh Ed..dd s..stop..." you tried to say around a laugh which only made him laugh more, the camera constantly going off. 

.............................

"Here you go Zella." You spoke with a smile, holding out the plate of freshly baked cookies. 

"You made me cookies?" Zella asked with a giggle as she took the plate. 

"Ginger cookies. Ginger helps with nausea." you told her with a shrug.

"Thank you y/n." she smiled. Taking a bite of one she hummed. "These are really good." 

"I'm glad you like them. Hope they help." 

"Do you still want me to go with you today?"

"Of course." you grinned. 

"Okay let me go put this in the house and I'll be right back out." 

Nodding you watched your friend go back into her home. Sensing someone behind you, you bit your lip to repress your laugh as two strong arms wrapped around you.

"Good morning my beautiful lass." he said, kissing her temple. 

"Good morning my handsome man." 

"What is it my darling has planned for today?" 

"I have to go get the dress you are condemning me to wear fitted." 

"Now sweetheart it is only once. Plus it is traditional. I would like to see you all done up even if it is only ever that one time." he said and saw her roll her eyes. 

"I haven't worn a dress since I was eight." 

"All the more reason then." 

"And what may I ask do you plan to wear?" Hearing him hum and nuzzle your neck you raised a brow. 

"My clothes." 

"Oh no. If I have to suffer then so do you."

"What is it you demand then?" 

Humming you thought and then grinned, "I'll leave it to Izo." 

"Leave what to me?"

Looking up to see his sons all come hurrying over he frowned at the serious look on their faces. 

"Dressing your father for the wedding." you told the man.

Nodding he looked to the woman. "I can do that." 

Without having to say a word he saw Marco come up to them and stop. 

"We need a word with you Pops." 

Hearing the seriousness in his son's voice he nodded. Seeing Zella come out of her and Marco's home he pulled away from y/n and placed his hand on her back. "I'll see you later darlin'." 

Nodding you looked up to the huge man and smiled. 

...................................

Standing in the middle of the room you looked down at the dress that was coming together. You and Zella had been ushered into the back rooms so your dress could be worked on without the irritation of the short elderly lady that had been at the front. You had never seen her before and wished you never had. Walking into the seamstress's shop you had spoke to her along with Mrs. Hall and her daughter but she had apparently not liked you speaking to her.

_"And what is so good about it?!"_

Blinking in surprise you had quickly shook your head and made your way to the front counter with Zella, the Mrs. Hall giving you an apologetic grin. The rude old woman had been left in the hands of the daughter, Amy but you could still hear her complaining about this and that. Mrs.Hall who was the one fixing your dress had closed the curtains, both to give you privacy and try and shut out the woman's annoying voice. trying to drown it out you focused back on the dress. You still thought you would look better in your normal clothes, dresses never really worked on you in your opinion. Letting out a sigh when you looked back up to the mirror your eyes just kept snapping to all the parts of yourself you hated. 

"It looks great y/n and when it's done it will look amazing." Zella said with a smile. 

"I have no doubt it will look beautiful I just..."

"Is something wrong dearie? Anything you would like to add or any adjustments?" the older woman asked. 

Shaking your head you looked down at her. "No ma'am you do amazing work. I'm just more worried about me." 

"Nonsense yo..."

"This girl knows nothing, I demand you come help me right now!" 

Tensing up when the old hag threw open the curtains you looked between her and Mrs. Hall. "It's okay, I can wait." 

"Finally a girl who knows her place." the old woman huffed.

Raising a brow you saw Mrs. Hall stand and pat your hand making your temper calm back down. 

"Now don't you worry dearie you are going to be a beautiful bride and Edward won't believe his eyes when he sees you." 

Smiling you felt her give your hand a small squeeze.

"I'll be back in a jiffy Miss. Y/n... here soon it'll be Mrs. Newgate." she smiled. 

Blushing you looked down and then up but felt your smile slowly slip away when you saw the old woman giving you a cold, hard look. Knitting your brows you saw her look at you for only a moment more before Mrs. Hall was walking her away. 

"What was her problem?" Zella asked in a hush tone. 

Blinking you shook your head slightly. "I don't know." Another hour and a half later Mrs. Hall gave you leave.

"I'll see you back here in one week for the final fitting." 

Thanking her you walked out of the shop with Zella but stopped when you saw the pregnant woman going to head back towards home. "Hey I'm going to go for a walk for a bit, work on my vows and stuff." 

Nodding Zella looked to her friends. "Okay. I..." Stopping to yawn she quickly apologized. "I'm going to go take a nap. I'll see you later." 

Parting ways you started walking towards the secret entrance to the village all the while thinking. Something felt off about that woman. They way she was looking at you, there was so much anger and you hadn't done anything to her. Sighing you shook your head and went down to the beach. No, you wouldn't worry about her, you had your vows to write. Feeling the sand between your toes you breathed in a deep breath of sea air, feeling it clear your mind and allow the thoughts of your soon to be husband fill your head. 

............................

He was fuming. Pure anger filling him. That bitch, how dare she. She actually thought she could get away with this. Who the hell would be foolish enough to believe that he and her had fucked? The fact that she had convinced that boy of hers that he was his actual father was ridiculous. The woman only came up to his damn ankle, there was no way in hell. Not to mention he had never even given her an ounce of his time all those years ago. No she was nothing but a liar, a greedy liar that wanted his apparent fortune. Walking towards the sea he looked for the woman who truly held his heart. Catching sight of her he felt peace come over him and took a deep breath to calm his rising temper. He trusted Marco and his other sons. If they thought it was best for him to just let them handle it for now then he would allow it. Afterall he damn sure didn't want y/n knowing about any of this. It wasn't that he wanted to lie to her it was just he didn't want to worry her. They were only one week away from being married, in eight days he would be able to call her his wife. Smiling at the thought he slowly walked towards her. 

Walking along the beach you felt the waves at your feet and ankles. Looking down at the sand you crouched down when you saw a shell. Lifting it up into you palm you tilted your head and looked it over. It was an egg shaped shell with a glossy white appearance. 

"And what are you doing darlin'?" he asked as he got up behind her. Seeing her e/c eyes snap up to his he looked down to her hand to see a small shell. "Got yourself a cowrie do you lass?" 

Standing you looked up to him. "It's pretty." 

Chuckling softly he felt that warming in his chest. His wonderful woman who found joy by the little things in life, so different from Bakkin. "Is that what you've been out here doing then, hunting for shells?"

"Well no, not at first." you told him as the two of you continued walking down the beach. 

Seeing a piece of yellow sea glass he picked it up and put it in his pocket. "So what were you doing then?"

"Mmm writing my vows." you answered. Seeing something else you stopped and crouched down to see a seastar. Picking it up you turned it over and saw the little fuz moving and walked out into the water some before gently lowering it down. 

Watching her closely as she went out into the water some he knit his brows a little. "You are writing your own vows, I didn't know we were doing that." 

Moving back to him you grinned softly, "You don't have to, I just wanted to do it." 

Humming he felt her lace her fingers with his as they both carried on with their walk. He was in the middle of thinking about what he would write for his own vows when he heard her speak. 

"Ed?" Hearing him hum you blinked. His face was more stiff than it normally was and your tilted your head some as you looked up to him, lifting your hand to cup his cheek. "What's wrong?" 

"Nothing lass." Seeing her continue looking at him for a time he knew she was trying to read him and smiled. "I'm fine lass. Everything is perfectly fine." he told her, grabbing her hand from his face and pressing a kiss to her small hand. When she gave him a soft smile of her own he bent down to lift her up, holding her to his chest with his one arm under her ass and thighs. Making his way over to the rocks, he sat in the sand with her in his lap, propping up against the cool sun warmed rock. Looking up at her he saw her hair blowing wildly in the wind and smiled at how beautiful she was. "Zella told me you made her cookies to help with her nausea." seeing her nod he raised a brow, "No cookies for me?" 

Opening and closing your mouth you licked your lips. "I...I didn't think you would want any. But I can make you some, what kind do..."

Chuckling he moved his other hand to brush back her hair. "I was only teasing you darling. I'd much rather you give me a different kind of sugar." 

Blushing you saw him give you that fox grin and giggled, leaning forward and tilting your face up to kiss him. 

Kissing her back he felt his worries from earlier drift away to the back of his mind. Threading his fingers through her hair he used his other arm to hole her close. Feeling that desire fill him he swallowed hard before he licked lightly at her bottom lip, asking for entrance. Hearing her barely audible gasp he began to pull away but then he felt her lips part. He knew this was her first time and so he was slow, not wanting to overwhelm her. Rolling his tongue into her mouth and humming at her taste he pushed his hand under the back of her shirt to hold her steady and also feel her bare skin. She seemed hesitant to join him so he flicked her own tongue with his and grinned into the kiss when she got the hint and started moving her mouth along with his. She was new to it, that was obvious but he didn't care, hell it had been probably close to ten years since he had kissed anyone like this and most of the time even then he was much rougher. He would never be that way with her though, he wasn't just going to take what he wanted from her, he wanted to give as well.

He dominated the kiss but not in a way that was overbearing, he was a captain taking charge. Like the rest of him his tongue was huge, in no time the entire space of your mouth was filled by the wiggling muscle. He held your smaller body tightly in his arms while his tongue rolled around your mouth. His warm hand on your back moving under your shirt to rub at your skin. Plunging his tongue into the back of your mouth you held onto his shoulders. You were quickly getting lost in the kiss, your whole body feeling like it would float away if he wasn't holding you. That throbbing between your legs had amplified and you could even feel your panties becoming wet. Just what was this man doing to you?

The longer they kissed like two teenagers the tighter his pants became. She just tasted so damn good. His arm had tightened around her middle to hold her flush against his body. With his hand on her hip he pulled her closer to him if it was possible. When a faint scent hit his nose he felt his body tense some, his fingers tightening on her all on their own. She was aroused. As much as he wanted he couldn't stop the low growl that rumbled in his chest nor the throbbing of his cock. Oh Gods he wanted her, he wanted her so bad but he couldn't have her, not yet. Knowing that he slowly ended the kiss and pecked her lips before pulling back some and touching his forehead to hers. Keeping his eyes closed he sighed, "As much as I hate to lass we ave' to stop cuz if we don't I just might break the promise I made to myself and take you right her on this beach." 

Hearing how deep his voice had gone you blushed beet red and heard him chuckle. 

"Yer blushin' this much now, how is it going to be once I can really have my way with ya?" 

When he smiled widely you felt your face heat up more and groaned, "Stoooppp." you whined, burying your face into his neck making him laugh and wrap his strong arms around you to hug you. Taking comfort in one another's embrace neither one of you noticed the small elderly woman standing down the beach with a deep scowl on her wrinkled face, her eyes like daggers as she stared at the both of you. 

...........................

The next four days had went by like normal. You had awoken and cooked breakfast as you always did. Marco and the others had seemed on edge in the beginning and Ed had seemed a like different as well but whenever you looked to him questionably he had always gave you that same smile, those warm yellow eyes looking at you lovingly like he always did. Zella had seemed none the wiser to what was going on and so you chose not to question it. With the remaining division commanders on their way to the island for the wedding (Unknown to them) you assumed that was the reason Ed was acting strange. You were nervous as well but Izo had promised you that the rest of the crew would love you just as much as they did. 

Wrapping his arm around her and tugging her into his side he grinned softly down at her, "We'll be back tomorrow lass."

Nodding you smiled up at him, moving to hug him. With Marco and Zella's child on the way Marco had decided it was time to build the unborn child a room. Yesterday Ed had helped his son with the plans for the addition and he had told you last night about how he and his sons were going to go to the other side of the island to get the wood necessary to start building. "Okay. What would you like for supper tomorrow?"

Humming he held her close, getting an idea he looked down to her and moved to brush that ever stubborn strand of hair behind her ear. "How about that stew you made when we were in your world. And the rolls." 

Smiling you nodded, "I think I can manage that but I'll need something as payment."

When she got up on her tiptoes and tilted her face towards his he chuckled and leaned down to press his lips to hers. Giving her a few long pecks he hummed before pulling away some and reaching into his pocket. "I have something else that I think might earn me some type of desert." 

Knitting your brows but still smiling somewhat you waited for him to continue but instead you felt something touch your neck and collarbone. Snapping your eyes down you felt his hands move behind your neck. Looking down you saw a beautiful piece of yellow sea glass the same color as his eyes. Lifting it up as he finished tying the leather cord around your neck you saw it was smooth and slightly see through. There was a small shell laying in front of it that looked like a tiny white clam shell. "It's beautiful. Thank you." 

Seeing her look up to him with a large smile and shining eyes he felt his cheeks heat up a bit. "It's nothing special darlin' just something I threw together and..."

"You made this?" you asked in amazement.

Closing then opening his mouth he tilted his head some and rubbed the back of his neck. "Well yes, you looked so happy the other day on the beach and I..." he didn't get to finish his sentence before she was kissing him again. Humming he moved his arms back around her. 

............................

It was strange sleeping alone again, after a few weeks of sharing Edwards bed you had grown used to his warmth, the sound of his breathing and strong heartbeat. That pulling in your chest proved to be another strange feeling. It wasn't painful but you didn't feel complete like you did when he was near you. Dealing with all of that it had came of no surprise when you had a hard time falling asleep last night. In fact the only way you had been able to find sleep had been when you had moved his pillow sideways and nuzzled your face into it so you could breath in his scent. Needless to say you were happy he was coming home today. Waking up at your usual time you had turned on your music as you started the stew your soulmate had requested. Once that was on you begun working on the dough for your homemade rolls, knowing they would need time to rise. Hearing a knock at the door and then it open you looked to see Zella walking in and smiled at her. 

The two of you had been working on this and that for most of the day, switching between wedding things and then her teaching you how to crochet and knit as she started on baby clothes and blankets. When you had moved outside to hang up the clothes to dry you looked out over the land and smiled widely at the sight of Ed walking towards you. Hanging up the last pair of his pants you met him by the bench, "You're back early." you smiled, moving to hug him. Being stopped by his hand on your shoulder you knit your brows and looked up to him. "What's wrong?" When he didn't speak you tilted your head some, "Ed? Is there something on my face, we were working on wedding stuff and..."

"There will be no wedding."

Freezing you looked up to him and blinked, realizing the words he had just spoke. "W..what?"

"Hey Pops you're back earlier than expected, is Marco here as well..." Coming into the conversation she looked to see both Y/n and Whitebeard looking at each other. There was a serious look on her father in law's face that she had never seen him wear before. Looking to her friend she saw a look of shock on the woman's face. "Is something wr..."

"We will not be getting married." 

You said nothing at first just stood there. There was this strange feeling in your heart but you licked your lips, "Ed if...if you're getting nervous or... or cold feet it's okay we can wait or talk about it or..."

"I will never marry you." 

Feeling a knot in your throat you swallowed it down. "But why? Di..did I do something wrong? If I did tell me and I'll make it right, I'll apologize." you said your voice soft.

"I don't love you." 

Gasping Zella covered her mouth and looked between the two. 

"This isn't funny Ed.." you said with a shake of your head, your heart now clenching. 

"And this isn't a joke. I don't love you, never did really." he said with a shrug. 

Your lip was trembling, your eyes watering up. "I don't understand. If... if you didn't l...If it wasn't true then why..."

"Amusement I suppose. It doesn't matter really the point is I don't want you. I don't want you as my wife, I don't want you in my life. You want you apart of my family."

Tears rolled from your eyes and down your cheeks. Looking up into his yellow eyes you saw they were cold, like the ones from your dream. "Please... please don't do this." you begged, your voice shaky with oncoming sobs. "You promised me." 

"Pops... You surely don't mean..." Zella tried speaking when she heard Y/n choking back sobs. 

"Don't proceed to tell me what I do and do not mean woman. This doesn't concern you." he snapped to the other woman. Looking back down to the crying woman in front of him he huffed, "You're so pathetic. Is it really a wonder why no one would want you?"

Sobbing out you lowered your eyes to the ground, tears now falling from your eyes like rivers. Your shoulders were curling up and you couldn't help the shaking taking over your body. 

"When I return I expect you to be out of my house." 

Hearing the only man you have ever loved walk away from you, you felt your knees grow weak. It was like you couldn't get enough air. Gasping and then sobbing you felt Zella come up beside you and touch your hand but you couldn't bare to look at her as you turned and slowly made your way back inside Edward's home, the home you had just started to view as your own. Stumbling back to the bedroom you removed the shorts and shirt you had on to put the clothes on you had came here with. You didn't actually have a shirt, your's having been too far gone to keep. Shoving your feet back into your worn boots and pulling on your coat to help cover yourself you grabbed your notebook from the dresser and bit your lip as it shook uncontrollably. Shoving it into your pocket you next grabbed your phone. Moving your hands to your neck you felt the necklace he had given you just yesterday morning there and closed your eyes as more tears fell from your eyes. Walking out into the living room you took one last look over the home, a painful clenching in your heart. Dipping your head low you turned towards the door and left. 

Moving over to Zella you held out the phone and headphones. "Can you give this to the guys please, th..they seemed to enjoy it." 

Taking the phone hesitantly she looked up to the heartbroken woman with sorrow filled eyes. "Y/n you... you can stay with us. marco won't mind. I know he won't..."

Shaking your head you sniffled and whipped your cheeks. "No. Thank you Zella but no I... I can't..." having to stop when your emotions took over you swallowed hard. "I won't be able to live knowing he...Edward..." Overcome with new sobs you felt her rub your arm. Looking down at her again you licked your lips, "Th... thank you for being my friend. I.. I'm sorry if I ever.. if I ever bothered you or Marco." 

Shaking her head Zella brushed away her own tears. "No Y/n you never bothered either of us." 

Forcing a small grin you leaned down to hug her. "Goodbye Zella." 

Crying Zella hugged her friend close until she pulled away. "Goodbye Y/n. I hope you and I will see each other again."

Nodding but not saying anything you stood up and looked over the land before you turned and started walking towards the entrance to town. You didn't speak to anyone as you made your way out, past the hidden waterfall and down towards the shore. You didn't yet know what you would do or where you would go but at the point you really didn't care. It felt like your whole world had crashed down, never before had you felt so alone, so much pain. Sniffling you were busy wiping your eyes when something struck the back of your head. Falling to the ground you tried to look around and speak but something was quickly tied around your mouth. Blinking you felt your head spinning. People were talking but you couldn't understand exactly what they were saying. Seeing a man come to stand above you you saw him give you an evil grin before he was lifting you up and tossing you over his shoulder. Bouncing as he walked you watched as he walked up some sort of ramp. Mumbling around the gag you heard him gruffly tell you to 'shut up'. Before too long you were dropped to the floor none too gently, your side aching at the sudden impact. 

"Welcome aboard missy, that blond man won't kidding when he said he had a catch for us. You'll earn us a good amount of berries at the auction." 

Blond man? Did he mean Ed? Berries, Auction?! Feeling your breathing become erratic you tried to move but a swift boot to your temple made everything go black. 


	16. Chapter 16

They had been in the middle of cutting down the last few trees when a sharp pain hit his chest. Standing up straight he held his chest and closed his eyes. The pain soon eased off enough that it was bearable but when he opened his eyes he saw his sons all looking to him with concern. Something felt off. More so than the time when Y/n had been in trouble before. Something was wrong. 

"Po..."

"We have to get home, now." he told then and saw then all nod before moving to pack up everything. Calling over cain they quickly hooked him up to the trailer that held the logs they had managed to cut down. Helping to quickly grab all of their things he tossed the bag on his back and started walking back towards the direction his home was in. It took them a little over three hours to make it back to the village. As he came across the hill and looked towards his home he saw the lights off. It wasn't late enough for her to be in bed. That clenching had not went away the entire walk home and the longer it took the more anxious he was to hold her in his arms again. He hadn't said much to his sons on the way and so none of them questioned it when he started walking a little faster. Quickly opening the door to their home he was hit by a delicious smell. Walking towards the kitchen he turned on the lights and saw a pot on the stove along with a pan full of her homemade rolls. She had cooked him supper, the supper he had asked for. Looking down the counter he even saw a pie of some sorts sitting there, apple pecan by the smell of it. So she had been well enough to cook then what was the problem?

Glancing to the table he saw papers, a roll of yarn that had been started into something on the needles and a few other minor things like two glasses of half drunk water. Stepping over to the table he looked over the papers to see lists of things for their wedding, things left to do and such. With only three days until their wedding there wasn't much left, they both had wanted a very simple event, Izo and Zella were taking care of most of it. Offsetting his jaw he walked towards their bedroom, looking for his soulmate. Not seeing her in the bed he glanced to the bathroom door that was open with the lights off. "Darlin' I'm home." he called but heard no response. "Y/n, lass?" Moving to look into the room anyways he saw it too empty. Something wasn't right. Going to walk out of their bedroom he saw her boots and coat gone. Why would she need her coat, the weather here wasn't even cold. "Y/n?!" he yelled out one last time. Searching the other bathroom and then the living room again he quickly walked outside, perhaps she was with Zella or maybe she had went for a walk. Seeing his clothes on the line he knit his brows further. 

"Pops!"

Snapping his eyes to Vista as the man came hurrying out of Marco's house he saw his son's face serious. "What is it?"

"You are going to want to hear this." Vista told him. 

Seeing the man hurry back into Marco's home he walked over and kneeled down so he could look fully into the smaller home. Hearing crying he quickly scanned over the room and caught sight of Zella sitting on the couch with Marco sitting beside her, one of his hands on her shoulder as she cried. 

"Zel, Zella honey tell me again what happened." 

"H..he told her all those horrible things..." Zella sobbed. 

"Who did?" Marco asked.

"Y..your father."

"That's not possible, we just got back and Pops has been with us the whole time." Jozu said with a shake of his head. 

Confused he looked to the woman. "What's..." he went to ask but saw Marco hold up his finger to him, asking for a moment.

"Zel honey what did he say, you said Pops said horrible things to Y/n, what did he say? Start from the beginning." Marco asked in a calm voice. 

Taking a deep breath Zella looked up to her husband's eyes. "She went outside to hang up the laundry. When I went outside to help her Pops was already there, he looked so...cold. He told her that they weren't getting married, that they never were. When she asked why, what she had done wrong he told her that he didn't love her..."

Feeling his heart hammer against his chest he breathed heavily and shook his head. "That wasn't me, I would never say..."

"Pops, let's hear the rest of it. Then we can better figure this out." Izo said in a reassuring voice, he knew his father was upset but he had to stay reasonable.

Panting he looked back to the woman, silently telling her to continue. He didn't want to lose his patience with his daughter or make her more upset than she already seemed to be but he was desperate to find out what was going on. 

Taking a deep, shaky breath Zella continued looking to her husband, "She thought he was joking at first, at least she probably hopped he was but he told her that he didn't and he never had. When y/n asked why he had told her as such in the first place if he never meant it he told her it was for amusement but it didn't matter because he didn't want her, not as a wife or in his life or apart of his family." Zella told them and then sniffled. Swallowing thickly she felt tears roll down her cheeks. "She was crying, begging him not to. She said he promised her..."

He had, he had promised her he would never hurt her, that he would never leave her or make her feel unwanted. Hearing Zella say she had been crying, begging him made his heart hurt even worse than it already did. 

"Did you say anything?" Jozu asked a little gruff. 

"I tried to, I did but he said that it didn't concern me." Zella told them with teary eyes.

"What else happened Zel?" Marco asked, rubbing her arm. 

"He... he called her pathetic... told her that no one would ever want her..."

Shaking his head he swallowed thickly. "Where is she now? Where is Y/n?" 

Looking to the huge man she sniffed again. "She left, you told her to leave. You said you wanted her gone by the time you got back."

"It wasn't me. That wasn't me." he grit out. 

"It was! You looked the same as you do now. Everything was the same." Zella cried. 

"You said by the time he got back Zella, where did this man that looked like pops go? Do you remember?" Izo asked. 

"To...towards town I think, I... I don't know for sure I was trying to comfort y/n." Rubbing her eyes she pulled out Y/n's phone, "She told me to give this to all of you, she said she knew you all liked it." 

"What else did Y/n do before she left Zel?" Marco questioned. 

"She went and changed, she put on her clothes she had came here with. Then she told me thank you fo..for being her friend and she..." Sobbing out she licked her lips, "She apologized for bothering us. I told her she hadn't, I told her she didn't bother any of us. I tried to get her to stay but she wouldn't, she was so heartbroken." 

It felt like someone was driving a knife through his heart. Whoever this imposter was, they had hurt the woman he loved, told her awful things, things she had been terrified of hearing from him. It was like this man had made all her worst fears come true and the worst part was he had used his face to do it. Y/n was out there somewhere and as far as she knew the only person she had ever opened her heart to had just stabbed her in the back. It felt like his own heart was going to beat out of his chest, he could hear his blood pumping in his ears. "Which way did she go Zella?"

"Towards town."

"When did she leave?" Vista asked. 

"Almost four hours ago." 

Without another word he was standing and marching towards town. Searching everywhere he could think of he came up empty handed. He tried letting his heart lead his way to her like it had so many times before but all he could feel was pain, no doubt the pain she was feeling. Telling his sons to ask everyone on the island if they had seen her he started walking towards the shore, knowing she enjoyed the water. Looking this way and that he used his haki but felt nothing. "Y/n?!" he yelled as loud as he could. Walking along the cliff edge he stopped short when he saw something laying in the grass. Bending down he picked it up and quickly recognized it as her notebook. Blinking he looked back up and moved over to the edge. Searching the dark water he prayed she hadn't done what he feared most. Stepping along the hill he stopped when he saw some of the grass and soil messed up. Those were made from a walkboard. A ship had been here. Breathing heavily he heard his sons yelling his name and turned. 

"POPS!" 

It was Izo. "Did you find her?" he asked, his voice hopeful. 

"No but we found something else. When we were asking around the innkeeper made the comment about how he hadn't seen Y/n but you had came in earlier and demanded he let your friend stay the night for free. He agreed of course and this strange man had come in not too longer later and claimed to be your said friend. He said the man had been drinking and when I asked if he was still in his room he said he was. Marco and Jozu are there with him now or should I say you." 

Gritting his teeth he held Y/n's notebook in his hand and marched towards the Inn. Seeing Jozu fighting with the replica of himself he growled and hurried over to grab the man as Jozu landed a punch to his jaw. Wrapping his hand around the man's throat he held him still and bored into his own eyes. The clone instantly went wide eyed, his eyes filling with fear. "You have three seconds to tell me who the hell you are and where my woman is!" When he didn't speak instantly he added more pressure until the man was choking and gasping for air. 

"I..I'm nobody.... I swear I was just doing what that woman paid me to do, it was a job." 

Feeling the man shrink down he held him up as he turned to what he assumed was his real self. The man was a scrawny little punk with short brown hair and a deep scar over his face. Refusing to release him he stared down at him. "What woman? What job?!" Growing irritated when the man didn't talk he grit his teeth. "Speak or I will pop your head clean off your body!"

"Ah No! I don't know her name. Old bag, blond hair, short thing. Real bitch."

Bakkin. "What did she pay you to do?"

"She told me she would give me five thousand berries if I came to this island and turned into you. She said all I had to do was break it off with that broad. She wrote everything out, all of it. She wanted me to break her heart, tell her to leave and then that was it, that's all I had to do. I left after that. I swear I didn't do anything to her other than that, I don't know where she went. That lady told me to wait here until she sent the rest of the payment."

Growling he felt his blood boil. Tossing the man to Jozu he told his son to lock him up. When the man started protesting and begging for his life he cut his eyes back to him. "You think you can get away with ruining people's lives? You hurt the woman I love and if something has happened to her you can best believe I will start my revenge out on you." he grit out through his teeth. Turning on heel he took only two steps before he heard the sound of a den den ringing. 

_"purururu...purururu...purururu"_

Looking back over his shoulder he narrowed his eyes before he walked over and reached into the man's pocket to pull out the denden. 

"That's her."

Gritting his teeth he held the thing in his palm as he answered the call. 

_"Click.."_

_"Well is it done?"_

Saying nothing he saw Jozu slap his hand over the majority of the man's face when he went to speak.

"Hmmm judging by the silence I will take it the imbecile has been caught. So with that I will assume I am speaking to you Newgate." "I was surprised to see you still alive the other day, and back in that young body at that..."

"Where is she?" he growled, his fist tightening at his side when he heard the woman begin laughing. 

"She is out of the picture, I'm sure that bird of yours told you all about how I have been getting rid of your false family. It only makes sense that your little whore would go as well." 

"Bakkin..." he snarled. 

"I warned you and your boys, I told them if your treasure wasn't handed off to your rightful heir then I would take away the things your cared about most."

"That oaf of yours is not my son!" There was a long silence before she spoke again. 

"Be careful what you say Newgate, my Edward will likely be the only legacy you ever leave behind."

He could feel the veins in his forehead popping out, "I will ask you once more Bakkin. Where is my woman?"

"Your woman?!" She chuckled. "There was no marriage, she is not yours and she never will be. Not unless you use that fortune of yours to buy her, but then again you don't support slavery do you Newgate? Pity, don't worry though I am sure there is someone that will be willing to pay the price for a pretty thing like her. I wonder what she will be used for, labor or pleasure?"

He listened to her cackle before the call disconnected. His teeth were clenched so tightly together he was sure he heard one of them crack. Panting he felt everyone's eyes on him but said nothing as he turned on heel and marched back to his home. Slamming the door open he grabbed a bag and started shoving things inside. Grabbing the shirt Y/n wore as a nightshirt he stuffed it inside. 

"Pops..." Marco called out but his father wouldn't look to him. Watching him walk to the bathroom to grab things he took a deep breath. "You know we can't leave yet, we can't man the ship with just the five of us."

Sighing he closed his eyes, he knew his son was right. The whaleship was a large ship. "How long until everyone else gets here?" 

"Two days." 

Rubbing his face he felt his heart sink. Two days until the rest of his sons arrived, that means by the time they set out Y/n would be even further from his reach. By that time she could already be sold or worse. 

Seeing his father's pain he sighed, "We'll get her back Pops."

"We said we were going to get Ace back as well but you know how that turned out." 

"Don't do that. Ace was saved, he was freed and then he used his freedom to save is brother." Marco spoke in a serious voice. It was unusual for the old man to remain silent but he understood why. As a soon to be father and husband himself he could never imagine losing Zella or his child, knowing he he failed them. Walking closer the the massive man he took the bag from him and set it on the dresser for now. "We will get her back Pops, I promise." Seeing two tired, sad yellow eyes look to him he took out Y/n's phone and pushed it into his large hand, "Get some rest, I'll get everything ready and as soon as the others get here we'll be ready to go." 

Feeling Marco pat his arm before he left he listened to the door shut, leaving him in the home alone. Lifting his eyes to the room he looked over this and that, his heart growing heavier and heavier. It was funny, when he had built this house he had never planned on sharing it with anyone but now as he walked through the home he knew he would not be able to live in it alone ever again. Everywhere he looked he was reminded of her, from the couch where she had slept for the longest time, never taking his offer for the bed. The kitchen where he had watched her cook or clean while dancing and humming along to one of the songs on her headphones when she thought no one was watching. The dining room table where they set together, talking and laughing over meals. Looking down he realized he had been making two bowls of stew, a habit now.

Eating only because he wanted to keep his strength up and knowing his lass hated wasted food he placed everything up in the fridge. The meal he has asked for was flavourless in his mouth, he wouldn't even try her pie. Taking a shower he stood under the hot water for the longest time, long after it had turned cold. Once he had walked out of the bathroom and across the room to their bed he stared up at the ceiling, the ache in his heart making it impossible for him to sleep. Rolling over he grabbed her pillow and brought it to his nose, desperate to smell her sweet scent again. Looking out the window into the night sky he let out a long sigh, "I love you lass."

Those two days seemed to take years, for two days he was stuck unable to do anything. Marco had spoke to Shanks, asking for his aid in keeping an eye and ear out for any slave auctions. He had never liked asking for help but if it meant having his soulmate back in his arms he could care less. Hell he'd probably ask Garp for help if he knew he would be able to. As soon as his other sons arrived on the island he had left Marco and the others to explain to the wide eyes, mouth agape crew. Tossing his bag to Jozu he quickly gave the command for them all to go get the ship ready for sail, he had one more stop to make before they left. Walking up the hill he stepped up and pulled down the large white jacket. Grabbing hold of Murakumogiri he pulled it out of the stone with ease. Looking out across the sea he rose his chin, "I'm comin' for ya darlin'."

.......................................

Curling up on the cold, hard floor you heard as your chains rattled, the heavy things rubbing the skin of your wrists, ankles and neck raw. Staring at the same spot on the wall you had been for however long you had been down here you sighed, wincing when your ribs shot with pain. Your whole body was sore and weak feeling from hunger, something you never imagined you would feel again. Since you had been taken you hadn't ate at all and you were only given water twice a day. Your throat was so dry it felt like you were swallowing needles every time you breathed. Hearing one of the men come down the stairs you just ignored them, having gave up asking questions days ago. There was no point anyway, there was no point in anything anymore. Your life was meaningless. You had no home, no money, no friends or family. The man you loved more than anything, the man you had been just days away from marrying no longer wanted you. He never did. None of it had been real or at least not for him. While he had been your everything you on the other hand were nothing to him. You really shouldn't have been surprised, you knew it was too good to be true. Why would he have ever wanted someone like you? 

Still you couldn't help but wonder if maybe there was something you could have done to make him want you. Maybe if you would have made yourself pleasing to the eye. Perhaps you had been too slow when it came to physical contact. You hadn't had any experience before and so you didn't much know what to do but maybe that was something you had failed at. Or maybe it wasn't any of that, maybe it was just you in general. That was a more likely reason, afterall not even your own parents wanted you. Maybe there was just something wrong with you. 

Sniffling, there were no tears left to fall from your eyes, all of the liquid in your body used up. Feeling the ship rock and sway with the waters of the sea you closed your eyes. This hadn't been what you had in mind when you wrote ride on a ship in your bucket list. From what you had been able to gather this was some sort of pirate ship that specialized in taking people to be sold as slaves. The captain of the ship, the man that had taken you who's name you still didn't know had told you that a big man with long blond hair had told them where they could find you. Apparently he thought you would go for a high price. Everyday he had been coming down to try and get as much information out of you a possible, apparently being able to up your price if he knew more about you. To his annoyance though you had refused to say a word, even when he would turn to causing you pain. It made your heart clench even more when you thought of Ed giving you over to these monsters to be sold. Had he really hated you that much? 

"No! No Let me go! I want my mommy!" 

Hearing the sound of a child screaming you turned over some and watched as one of the men brought down something, the light from above filing the dark space. Knitting your brows you saw the man open the cell door before throwing what looked to be a small child into the cell with you. The little girl, you guessed from the way she was dressed and her longish hair instantly stood and tried to run towards the door as she cried to be set free. Noticing the man go to push her back and then let out a yell when the little girl bit him you quickly tensed when he pulled out a wooden bat of sorts and raised it above his head. "No!" yelling out even when your voice broke you hurried forward to stop him from hitting the girl. 

"Get back!" 

Grabbing the bat you were busy trying to fight him off when heavy footsteps came down the stairs. Before you knew it you were being attacked by none other than the captain who was a little bigger than you. Stumbling back when you were hit in the cheek with his fist you tripped on your chains and fell to your ass. There was no time to do anything, no time to react before he was hitting you with the bat. Crying out you turned to your side and covered your head as much as possible. When you thought it wouldn't end it finally did and he walked back over to the door. 

"You see what happens when you try and cause trouble?!" he yelled and saw the girl they had just got nod vigiorlessly. Grabbing her he threw her inside the cell and slammed the door. If I hear one sound from either of you I will beat the both of you senseless." he warned before he walked back up the stairs. 

Trembling in agony you tried to move into a more comfortable position but everything seemed to hurt. Deciding on your side you dropped your head to the floor and tried to open your eyes but could only see out of one of them, the other one swollen shut or so it felt. Breathing was more difficult now as well making you assume your ribs were cracked or broken. 

"I..I'm sorry." 

Hearing the small voice you tilted your head some to see the little girl now kneeling in front of you. She was a cute little thing, a bit dirty but there was a small bow hanging from her loose hair that matched her dress. Tears rolled from her eyes and her lip trembled as she looked down at you. Swallowing to try and get some kind of moisture into your mouth you forced the best smile you could. "Don't be." 

"But y...you got hurt... because of me." she whimpered.

"It's okay, I'll be fine." you told her. When she only looked down and you noticed the little drops falling from her chin you took a shaky breath. "Wh..what's your name?" you asked, your voice cracking a bit. 

"Enola." she sniffled. 

"That's a pretty name." 

"What's your name?"

"Y/n."

"Are we... am I going to be a slave?" 

Seeing the true fear in her eyes you swallowed again. "I don't know." you answered honestly but regretted it when she started crying more. 

"I want to go home. I want my mommy and daddy." 

Watching the little girl cry made your heart throb and you pushed over your trembling hand to rub her back, trying to comfort her the best you could. After a little while you had managed to coax her into laying down to try and sleep. 

Balling up she wrapped her arms around her small frame and shook. "Is it always this c..cold?" 

Hearing her teeth chattering you looked to the thin sleeveless dress she had on and furrowed your brows. Rolling to your front you painfully pushed your way up into a sitting position. Shrugging off your coat you got it down to your wrists before it was stopped by the cuffs and chains. Wiggling the thing under you you placed your foot against the coat and pulled, filling the small room with a ripping sound. Tossing it over her small frame you noticed it was about the size of a normal blanket on her and grinned slightly. Laying back down beside her you gave her a weak smile. "Better?" seeing her nod you hummed, "Good. Try and sleep okay."

"What if those bad men come down again?"

"I won't let them hurt you." 

"Thank you." 

Nodding your head slightly you saw her tiny eyes close and tried to take in a deep breath. With no coat, no shirt and no shoes, thanks to one of the men saying they looked to be about his size, you were now freezing. But you had suffered the cold before and it was better you than her. Moving your hands to your neck you felt the necklace that Ed had made you and felt the knot in your throat grow, felt that constant pain in your heart worsen. Tightening yoru hold on it you felt a single tear roll over the bridge of your nose as you tried to imagine you were back in his arms once again. 


	17. Chapter 17

More people had been tossed into the cells with you and Enola, one looked like a humanoid dog and another you guessed was a fishman. As the number of people grew you had made sure Enola stayed by you when a few of the people seemed sketchy. At one point the pirates had brought down a few measly loafs of bread and everyone in the cells went nuts. After fighting with one of the human men which had proved to be almost more than you could handle because of your weakened state you had managed to snag the little girl a half of a loaf to eat. She had quickly offered you some of it but you had shook your head and moved to rest back against the wall with her in your lap. You had no desire to eat, no desire to go on. You had no idea how long it had been but your pants had started dropping lower on your hips as starvation started to take effect. Closing your heavy eyes you laid your head back against the wall and thought back to the man you loved. You wondered if he had meant any of those kind words he had ever said to you? Probably not, he was most likely just playing his card right since you had offered him a place to stay and everything else while he was stuck in your world. Like he said, he had never loved you, you were simply there for his amusement and once he grew tired of you that was it. He was never going to marry you, he didn't want you apart of his family, the family you had been so excited to call your own. You knew the truth now, you would never have a family of your own. No one would ever want you, no one would ever love you. With a heavy sigh you felt that clenching in your heart intensify. 

"Don't know why you are so attached to the girl, in a few days it won't matter..." 

Opening your heavy eyes you looked across the cell to the man you had just fought, his nose still dripping blood. 

"...she'll be sold off ta the highest bidder jus' like the rest of us." he finished.

Hearing a whimper you looked down to the little girl sitting in your lap and saw she had started crying again. 

"Those tears ain't gonna save ya brat, ya better toughen up now." He huffed. 

"I...I don't want to be.. sold... I want to g..go home." 

"Ya ain't ever goin' 'ome, yer gonna be a slave fer the rest of yer life." 

"That's enough!" you snapped. "What the hell is wrong with you?!"

"Oh shut it bitch, I'm just tellin' the little runt the facts..."

"Why?! Does it make you feel like some big macho man to scare little girls?" When he only narrowed his eyes at you you raised your chin, refusing to back down. "She is suffering enough as it is you don't have to make it worse." 

"Whatever let her live in 'er dreamworld but that's what's gonna get 'er killed. Ya on the other 'and... Well ya already look like yer knockin' on death's door. " he chuckled before he turned his back to you both. 

Sighing you looked back down to Enola and saw her crying quietly. "Hey it's alright, don't pay him no mind..."

"I don't want to be a slave... I... I don't want to die..." she cried. 

Feeling her turn to cry into your chest you lifted your hand up as much as you could with your chained wrists to rub her back. Swallowing hard you blinked slowly. She reminded you so much of yourself. A frightened child who wanted nothing more than to be with her family, the people who loved her. It was then you decided that you would not let her suffer like you did. That man had been right about one thing, yes you were close to death but if it was the last thing you did you would save this child. "Enola." you whispered, dipping your head down so only she could hear. When she lifted her tear filled eyes to yours you gave her the best grin you could. "I need you to listen very closely to me and do everything I say okay..." When she nodded hesitantly you licked your dry, cracked lips. "I'm gonna get you out of this..."

............................

One by one the others were led up the stairs. When it came time for you you sat quietly as the man unlocked the cuffs on your ankles. For the past few days you had been laying on your worsening condition a little more than how you truly felt. Not the you didn't feel like absolute shit but you wanted these men to think you were nothing to worry about. 

"You gonna be able to walk?" 

Nodding you stood, holding back your smirk as you stood up, wobbling a little bit when your head spun. Watching as the man tied a rope around Enola's tiny wrists you clenched your teeth but said nothing. Being led up the stairs you couldn't help but breath in the fresh air as it washed over you. Blinking you looked out over the island and saw snow. It was nighttime so you couldn't see the entire layout of the land but you could make out the silhouette of mountains in the background along with something roundish looking that was much bigger than all the mountains. It was windy as well, the cold air cutting into your bare skin like knives. You couldn't help but shiver but you wouldn't say a word. 

"Bet you wished you would've kept your coat huh doll?" the captain huffed, looking down to the little girl who was wearing the extremely large coat. Walking over to the tall woman he sighed at her weakened state, "Try not to die before I can make a few berries off of ya." 

Refusing to say a word you watched as he turned and started off the ship, everyone else following. Feeling the one man pull on your chain you started walking along behind him, keeping Enola close. Walking along the snow covered ground you felt your shivering increase. Stumbling a bit you noticed the rest of the crew and captives get a little further ahead. 

"Agh get a move on will you cunt!" 

Feeling him yank on your chains you started coughing and doubled over. Glancing up as the captain looked back and rolled his eyes before turning to continue on you narrowed your own. Acting out your part you heard Enola ask if you were okay. When the man holding both your chain and her rope shoved her back and made her fall you grit your teeth as he started yelling at her. Quickly grabbing hold of the sword on his hip which was more like a large knife to you, you shoved it into his chest when he turned towards you. As soon as he let out a croaking scream you made your move. Snatching your chain from his hand you lifted Enola up into your arms and ran for it. Hearing yelling behind you and then the Captain yelling orders for his crew to stop you pushed on harder. A loud gunshot rung through the air and then you cried out as a sharp pain hit your leg. Stumbling into the side of the nearby building you bit your lip. Hearing the yelling growing closer you took a shaky before taking off again, pushing through the immense pain in your thigh. 

Refusing to stop you kept on, holding Enola close. Seeing trees up ahead you ran for them, hoping to get some sort of cover. Your bare feet were becoming numb from the frigid cold but you wouldn't stop. Running through the trees and rocks for some time you made a sharp right turn when you noticed the smoke in the sky and saw a small home up ahead. You could still hear them coming behind you and swallowed hard, your heart hammering in your chest. Panting you ran towards the door and knocked desperately. Hearing nothing at first you knocked again and this time saw a small light come on in the window. When the door flew open you saw a old man standing there with a old woman behind him. 

"Wha.. what can i do for you young lady?" he asked.

"I don't have time to explain sir but I beg you to please take this girl." Sitting Enola down in front of you you saw the old couple look to her and then up to you with wide eyes. 

"What's going on dear? Is somethin.."

Seeing the chains on the woman's writs the man looked down to the girl again. "You are runaways.... slaves..."

Shaking your head you looked him in the eyes. "Not yet... not ever." hearing the yellign getting closer you breathed heavily. "Please. Please you have to take her, you have to hide her. Please don't let them find her, she's just a child." 

"No. No, Y/n I want to stay with you..."

Coming forward to stand beside her husband she looked to the young woman. "You are hurt..."

"I'll be fine. I'll lead them away. Please I'm begging you." They both just looked at you for sometime before each other and then nodding. 

"Hurry child inside." the old woman said. 

Forcing her to let go of your finger you heard her start crying. "Enola stop. It's okay, it's okay you... your going to be okay." you told her, feeling her hug your leg you rubbed her hair and swallowed hard. 

Hearing the yelling he took a deep breath. "We must hurry or they will find the both of you." 

Nodding you pushed her towards the elderly woman and watched her take her towards the room in the back. Looking back to the man you tried to keep yourself from passing out. "Thank you." 

Taking a deep breath he nodded, "Go down to the river, make a right at the fallen tree and then a left after the big boulder. There will be a trail on your right, it will be grown up some no doubt but it will lead you back around to here. It's a long trail, steep as well but if you can lose them at the river and make it back here we will hide you as well."

Nodding you forced a small grin. You knew you weren't making it back but it was kind of him to offer, "Thank you." Looking to the door Enola had went into you saw him look up to you. 

"She will be safe. Go."

Taking a deep breath you bowed your head and took off back towards them. Glancing back you saw the old man brushing up your tracks with a broom. Running towards the pirates you felt your bloody pants cling to your leg, the pain was almost unbearable but you knew what was at stake. Cutting through the trees you saw the lights from the pirates and ran a little ways in front of them, seeing them instantly take the bait and follow after you. Keeping your back to them so they would think you still had Enola you heard them running behind you. Shots rang out around you as you ran up the cliff side. Getting to the top you turned around when one got too close. Kicking him with your bad leg you felt it shoot with pain but watched him roll down the hill. Turning back around you made it over the peak and tried to go down but tripped and began rolling down, your body slamming into the rocks and roots as you fell. Stopped suddenly by a tree you screamed when another gun went off and the bullet hit your lower back. Gasping you looked up to see the group making their way down towards you. You were too close, too close to Enola, they had to think you had hide her away somewhere further. Rolling to your side you pushed yourself up, whimpering out and feeling something warm run down your back. 

"Don't let her get away!"

Holding your aching ribs with one hand you continued running. Pushing yourself as much as possible you lost them for a short time in a thick patch of trees. Coming to the river the old man was talking about you shuddered as you ran into the icy waters. Shaking so bad you could hear your teeth chattering you moved out into the water, making your way across to where you saw the fallen tree on the other side. Swimming when it got deep you gasped for air. Getting out of the river you stumbled across to the tree, you were so cold, your whole body was going numb and in turn it was getting harder to move. 

"AHHH!" 

Snapping your eyes to the man when he lunged towards you you caught the blade of his sword with your chain and spun out of the way. "AHHaaa!" Crying out you backed away into the side of the tree and looked down to see a slash along your right hip. Shaking you just did manage to roll away when he swung his sword again. Clenching your teeth you slammed into him when he was off balance but fell to the ground as well. Your head was spinning, your body growing weak as your adrenaline started wearing off. Feeling him land a hard punch to your jaw you looked up to the night sky, the stars mixing all together. 

"You're a tough one, I'll give you that... but not tough enough. Where's that little one at? You're stupid if you think we won't find her..." looking down at the woman he grabbed ahold of the necklace around her neck and lifted it up before ripping it from her neck and looking over the junk. Scoffing he tossed it to the ground. 

Enola.. You couldn't let them find Enola. Using your little strength to wrap your chain around his neck you held it tightly as he struggled. Clenching your teeth as he hit and elbowed your battered body you tugged harder. Slowly he started to go limp. Holding it around his neck for a little longer you finally let go and shoved him off of you. Panting you shook, your eyes desperate to close. You were so tired. You wanted to sleep, you just wanted to sleep. NOT YET! Snapping your eyes back open you rolled over and pushed yourself up onto your unsteady feet. Grabbing his sword and your necklace you started stumbling along the snow cover ground. 

Making it to the big boulder you looked to the grown up path not to far away and swallowed hard, taking in a shaky breath. You couldn't lead them back to her, back to those kind people that had helped. Looking to the opposite direction you saw the sea far down the mountain and blinked your heavy eyes slowly. Lifting your heavy limb you turned towards the water. You couldn't go on much longer, you were already past your limit. Holding onto the trees as you made your way down you got to a ledge of sorts with many large boulders and trees around. Stumbling over to one of the big rocks you leaned back against it and slowly sunk down. You couldn't go any further. Sitting on the ground you leaned back against the cold rock. At least with being so cold you couldn't much feel pain anymore, couldn't much feel anything. Your lids felt like someone had attached weights to them. Fighting to keep them open a little longer you starred out over the sea. The sun was just beginning to start it's rise, the sky turning pink and orange just over the water. Moving your arms you held the sword in your right hand on the ground next to you while you moved your left one to your lap. Glancing down to your palm as you shakingly opened it as much as your frozen fingers would allow you looked down at the yellow sea glass and swallowed hard. Feeling a clenching in your heart you felt your lip tremble and a tear roll down the side of your nose. What you wouldn't give to see him one last time, to have him hold you in those big, strong arms. Tightening your grip on your most prized possession you raised your eyes back to the sea once more. Your last thoughts being of the man you loved as your eyes finally slipped close. 

........................... 

Twelve days it had been twelve days since he had last seen her, since he had last held her. Noticing the sky starting to brighten along the horizon he sighed, thirteen days. Staring out over the seemingly endless sea he closed his eyes as the invisible blade in his heart twisted. They were supposed to be married by now. She was supposed to be his wife. He was supposed to be her husband. Right now they should be laying in their bed, blissfully enjoying one another in the ways newly weds should. Instead they were who knows how far apart and she was enduring who knows what. The constant pain in his chest ensured him that she was hurting. Undoubtedly emotionally, mentally and he had this horrible feeling it was physically as well. Stirring the ship in the direction his constricted heart was telling him to go he stood by the wheel and pushed his hand into his pocket to fish out her phone. Turning it on he looked down to the picture of the both of them. They were both smiling widely, her face attempting to hide away in his neck. God he missed her so much. That incomplete feeling that he had felt his whole life until she had shown up was now back and worse than ever. It was like his very soul was telling him how much he had failed his soulmate. She had been taken, hurt, to what extent he still didn't know but those punks that took her better pray not one scratch came to his darling.

"Hey Pops! We're coming up on Applenine." Hartura yelled down from the crow's nest.

Taking a deep breath he narrowed his eyes as the silhouette of the island came into view. Appleline, that was apart of that psychopathic Doflamingo's territory. He knew the punk was big into the slave trade. Clenching his teeth he took a deep breath as they got closer to the island. Being the first off the ship he looked around to the snow cover island. "Search the town, find out what you can." he told his sons and saw them all quickly take off. Walking along he was busy looking over all of the small homes with the apple shaped roofs when he heard Marco call for him a few meters away. Looking his way he moved over and quickly noticed what had caught his son's attention, a large amount of blood colored snow. Seeing it smeared in a direction he started following it, hearing Marco right behind him.

Whistling for some of the others to come with them, they all quickly followed after their father.

The smear ended after a while but it wasn't hard to spot the auction house. His pace quickened, the two men standing at the door stiffening as he approached. 

"Hey, hey you can't..."

Cutting through both of the men with one swing he kicked in the large door. His sons went to work stopping everyone who tried to get in their way. Scanning the room he saw the man at the desk stand abruptly and go to run but not before Marco could grab him. 

"If you want to live you will tell us everything we want to know." Maroc warned in a clam voice. 

"Where are the slaves being held for auction?" he asked and saw the man waste no time pointing out the right door. Kicking it down when he found it locked he walked down the long hall, getting to another door that was made of iron and locked up tight. Punching the door it flew off the frame and across the dark room. Ducking to fit inside he stood back up and scanned the room that was made of nothing but holding cells. Walking down the hall he clenched his fist as he looked to all of the chained people of different races, sex and ages. As he made his way through the room he saw some of their eyes lift to his, some holding fear others just looked like they were defeated. He quickly found his Y/n's face not among them and felt a sense of dread come over him. 

Searching over all the cells as well Marco saw his father standing there with a lost look on his face. 

"She's not here." he said with a heavy heart. 

"Perhaps there is another one on the island or they are holding her somewhere else..." Vista added. 

Going to work releasing the other slaves Izo looked to Jozu. 

"Have any of you seen a tall woman with long h/c hair, s/c skin..."

"I've seen er'." 

Snapping his eyes to the gruff sounding voice he walked down to stand in front of the cell that the voice had came from. Seeing a middle aged man inside, sitting against the back wall with chains along his wrists, ankles and neck he narrowed his eyes when the man looked to him, a hint of amusement in his eyes. Waiting for the man to speak he grit his teeth in annoyment. "Well?"

"Gonna cost ya." 

Huffing he narrowed his eyes at the man, "You'll tell me or I'll leave you here to rot." 

"You think I'm afraid of dyin'?" he chuckled. 

"Not dying punk, suffering." when the man continued to stay silent that shit eating grin on his face he felt his lip lift into a snarl.

"Come on Pops, he don't know anythin...."

Seeing the giant man go to walk away he raised his chin. "Y/n, I think that's what I heard that little brat callin' er'." 

Freezing when he he heard her name fall from the man's lips he turned back starred down at the man. 

"Ah so that is the one yer' lookin' fer."

"Where is she?" 

"Dead most likely, or wishin' she was." he told him with a tilt of his head. "She ran off when we got here, took that little one with her."

"Little one?" Izo asked, coming to stand beside his father.

"Yea, little girl they took ta sell wit the rest of us. Little brat wouldn't stop crying the whole ride here." he huffed. "She seemed real smittin' with that doe yer' lookin' fer."

"What do you mean she ran off?" Marco questioned. 

"I mean that as soon as they got us off the ship and started us 'ere she managed to grab the girl an' run off. Can't tell ya which way, I was further ahead an' couldn't see em but I can tell ya that she managed ta take out the one that was in charge of er'. 'eard the captain say it was his brother an' she was gonna pay fer his death. As soon as they got the rest of us ere he gave the order ta go find er'." 

Breathing heavily he felt this heart speed up and went to hurry out but heard the man speak again.

"Can't say yer gonna like what ya find, been earin' gunshots all night and she won't lookin' too hot in the first place." 

Quickly making his way out of the building he saw some people standing around looking to them. 

"Pretty sure some of the men we took out before were some of the ones that took Y/n." Marco said. 

"I want the whole island searched. Leave no stone unturned." he told his first in command and saw him nod. "You find the Captain, you leave him for me." 

"Understood." Without another word he watched his father start marching through the streets. 

..................................

Trying to let his heart lead him in the direction of his love he felt only this sharp, twisting pain. It was nearly enough to send him to his knees but he pushed on, desperate to find her. Following the tracks into the forest he walked through the trees, listening for any sound. Going on for a while he heard a gunshot followed by the sound of yelling. Running towards it he came up to a small home surrounded by a few men. Getting closer he saw an old couple standing there as the group f men went about questioning them. 

"...you'd both do well to tell us the truth." one of the men threatened. 

"We known nothing of these two you are speaking of young man." The old man went to say but was cut off when one of the men came forward and shoved him aside to barge into his home. 

Hearing a child scream he watched as the man that had went into the home tossed a young child out into the snow, the others aiming their guns and swords towards the elderly couple. 

"Now you are going to tell me what I want to know or I'ma blow your wife's brains right in front of you an' then I'ma call inthe captain and he'll make you wish you were never..."

Jumping in he swung his blade through the air, cutting down one after another. Punching one of the men in the head he knocked him back into the tree and watched him fall to the snow. Grabbing the one that had been threatening the old couple he shoved Murakumogiri through his torso. Dropping his lifeless body down to the ground he turned to the couple and saw them both looking to him with fear filled eyes, the small child cowering behind them. Walking forward he shoved his naginata in the ground to show them he meant no harm towards them. Taking out Y/n's phone he turned it down and showed them the picture of her and him. "Have you seen this woman?" The two looked to the picture before looking up to him. However before either of them could speak two curious eyes were peeking out from behind the woman. 

"Hey that's Y/n..." 

Hearing the child's small voice he looked down to her and saw her clinging to the older woman's skirts. Crouching down on his hunches so he might not look as intimidating to the child he looked into her green eyes. "You know my friend?" he asked and saw her nod. Just now noticing that the little girl was wearing his darling's coat he felt his lip twitch when he noticed the blood stains on the tan material. 

"She saved me from those bad men." Enola spoke in a soft voice.

"The young woman showed up on our steps late last night, begging us to take this child in, to hide her from those men you just killed." the old man told the young man.

Looking to the man he saw the man looking him in the eyes. "Do you know where she is now, which way she went?"

"She said she was going to lead them away from us and the girl. I told her to head to the river on the other side of the hill, make a right at the fallen tree and then a left after the big boulder. There's a trail on the right, I told her if she took it it would lead her back here."

"We've been waiting for her to come back so we could help hide her away as well but.." the woman added but stopped when the little girl at her side moved into her more. 

"She hasn't come back yet." the man finished, glancing down to the child. 

"They hurt her...those bad men." 

Snapping his eyes back down to the child he saw her looking down, her little lip trembling. "What do you mean they hurt her sweetheart?"

"They hit her, beat her, the..then last night when she was running away they s..shot her." she told the giant in a cracking voice. 

Watching the little girl cry he felt his heart hammering in his chest. 

"Her leg was bleeding when she was here last night." the old woman told him. 

Standing back to his full height he looked up and gave a loud whistle. Within a few seconds marco was flying overhead and landing beside him, the flames on his body dying away. Seeing his eyes look over the scene and then up to him he glanced to the couple and girl. "Keep them safe, if anymore show up keep them alive for now." Seeing Marco nod he grabbed Murakumogiri and ran in the direction the old man had pointed him in. 

Making his way up the hill he saw many tracks in the snow along with a few drops of blood. Getting to the peak he looked down and saw much more of the snow and dirt disturbed. Running down the hill his eyes snapped to the larger stain of blood in the snow and grit his teeth. She had fell. Running faster through the woods he could make out where she had stumbled and fell, blood here and there in the snow. She was losing blood. Getting to the river he saw ice chunks floating along the surface. The current wasn't rough, his lass was a damn good swimmer, she would have been able to make it across but he was worried about how cold it was. Taking a few steps back he made the jump across, landing only in a few feet of water, enough to get his feet wet but he could care less right now. 

Seeing the fallen tree and then the body laying on the ground he felt his heart speed up at the sight of more blood. The man had no injuries on him, this blood was hers. Noticing the bruises on his neck he knew immediately that she had strangled him. "That's my lass." he spoke to the air. Going on he followed her tracks, being able to tell she was stumbling more now. Making it to the large boulder he moved around it to see the path the old man had told him about but there was only one problem, the snow there was undisturbed. She hadn't went that way. Turning around in circles he tried to figure out where she was. This high up the snow was only in patches on the rocks. Had she continued upward? No, there was no way she would be able to. Turning left he looked through the thin trees to see the sea in the distance. The water, she would go to the water. She wouldn't lead them back to the child. Moving over he started making his way down, blood here and there along with a few bloody footprints on the rocks. She wasn't wearing shoes? 

Stepping down from the small ledge he looked around but felt his blood run cold when he saw a small bare foot and jean clad leg sticking out from behind the large rocks. "Y/n. Y/n!" he yelled, his feet moving for him. Rounding the boulders his heart dropped to his stomach and his breath caught in his throat when he finally stared down at her. "nn..no...NOOO!" he roared. Dropping Murakumogiri to the ground he heard it clatter but paid it no mind as he fell to his knees beside her. There was so much blood. Reaching out for her his hands shook. He was so afraid to touch her, so afraid he would hurt her worse than she already was. Gently pulling her to lay in the nook of his arm he hissed at how cold her skin was on his. She was wearing nothing but her black lace bra and her bloody jeans. There was ice on her hair and lashes, her skin was flushed of color and her lips had a bluish tint to them. She was freezing.

Quickly shrugging his jacket from his shoulders he wrapped it around her, his eyes snapping to the bloody slash across her hip. Forcibly opening her hand so she would release the sword he tucked it inside his jacket as well. Looking back up to her face he swallowed the knot in his throat. "Y/n, lass wake up." he said in a shaky voice. Licking his lips he moved his other hand to stroke her battered cheek, brushing it up to her stiff hair. "D..darlin' come on look at me." Nothing, she didn't make a sound. Feeling tears leak from his eyes he gave her a shake. "Y/n." he grit out between clenched teeth. "Wake up." he demanded, his voice rough and deep. Pressing his ear to her chest he heard nothing but his own blood pumping and growled out, tears now pouring from his eyes. "No. No you wake up. You look at me!" he yelled. Sobbing out he hugged her close, "PLEASE!" 

Shaking he kissed her temple and then her cheek, laying his forehead on hers. "Please. Please lass don't le..leave me. I can't go through life alone again. I don't want to have this second chance if you're not apart of it." he sobbed. When she made no signs of life he leaned forward, holding her tightly as his heart shattered. "I'm so sorry darlin'. I love you." he spoke in a broken whisper. 

"...e..eed..."

Hearing the barely audible whisper he quickly sat up and looked down to her. "Lass? Darlin'?" Not hearing anything else he was sure it was just his mind playing tricks on him but then he saw her small fingers twitch and he was sure his heart was going to beat out of his chest. "Y/n?!" 

That voice. A deep voice that called out to you even from the darkness. You had felt nothing and then there was warmth, a soothing warmth. It couldn't be, could it?

When she whimpered softly his breathing turn erratic. Looking over her face he saw her lashes fluttering, her eyes attempting to open. Feeling his face crack into a large smile he cupped her face gently. "That's it, that's my stubborn woman, come on open those pretty eyes, look at me lass."

Ed? Your Ed, he was here? 

"Yes beautiful I'm here. I'm here darlin' and I'm never leavin' you again." he assured her. 

Had you spoken out loud? You couldn't open your eyes, couldn't move. Everything hurt, oh God it hurt. 

Watching her face contort into one of agony and her eyes continue to try and open he heard her whimper again, this time sounding more desperate. "Shhh it's alright lass, everything is gonna be alright." Holding her close to his chest he pushed her head close to his chest, covering her other ear with his hand. Giving a loud whistle he looked up to the sky, "MARCO!" he yelled as loud as he could. Hearing the sound of his son's phoenix form call out he whistled again and in no time he saw the flaming blue bird overhead. Waiting for him to land he felt his Haki alert him to danger and quickly lept out of the way just as a gun was fired and the bullet whizzed past him. Landing a few feet away he snapped his eyes over to the man who looked about Jozu's size, that had to be him.

"I'll be takin' my property back. The bitch and I have some unfinished business." 

Landing beside his father he looked to Y/n and knew she was critical. "Pops.."

Gritting his teeth at the man he felt pure rage come over him. That was him, that was the one who had taken his soulmate, hurt his soulmate. Crouching down when he heard Marco call for him he pressed his lips to her forehead, "Marco's gonna take care of ya sweetheart while I take care of this punk. You just hold on for me okay, you keep fightin'." he told her in a deep, quiet voice. Kissing her brow he gently laid her down on the ground, wrapping his jacket around her. Stepping back he watched as marco turned to his phinox form and carefully grabbed hold of his jacket with his talons, lifting y/n up into the air and carrying her back towards the ship. 

"Marco the phoenix of the Whitebeard pirates huh? So what does that make you the old man's replacement?"

Huffing he raised his chin. "I'm gonna enjoy this." 


	18. Chapter 18

Walking across the dimly lit room he moved to stand directly beside the bed. Looking down at the woman occupying it he took a deep breath and let it out in a long sigh. Thirteen days, it had been thirteen days and in that time of almost two weeks this had happened. Thinking back to what Marco had just told him he grit his teeth, his hands clenched into fists beside him in rage. Two gunshots, one to her thigh and the other her lower back, only a few inches from her spine, just a little further left and she would have been paralyzed. A long, deep cut along her right hip made from a sword no doubt. Many broken and cracked ribs that had been irritated, the skin over them bruised. Her wrists, ankles and neck had been rubbed raw by the cuffs and chains they had locked her in, her wrists being the worst. Those fuckers had starved her as well as beat her, he hadn't needed Marco to tell him she was malnourished, her hollowed out cheeks and lighter weight when he had picked her up telling him she hadn't eaten in Gods knew how long. She was hypothermic when he found her and many blankets now layered over her to keep her body warm. Sitting down on the floor next to the bed he moved his hand to gently stroke her head. Her face was bruised as well, along with a few cuts and scrapes. Her left eye had a dark bruise the whole way around it that disappeared into her hairline. Cracked and busted lips that had thinned out slightly. Her right eye had a dark circle encasing it. All of that but he found her no less beautiful. 

Hearing one of the machines beep he looked over to it and quickly hit the button to silence it. Looking back down he blinked when he saw two weak and hazy e/c eyes looking up at him. "Lass..."

Looking up at the man you were sure you would never see again you tried to figure out if you were dead. Going to move, your eyes instantly snapped shut when you felt the pain all over your body. You thought there wasn't supposed to be pain when you died... had you gone to hell? No if you had he wouldn't be here, well unless it was simply to torture you. That was likely it, he was just your imagination. You had most likely been found by those men and now you were simply imagining Ed. 

"Lay still darlin'." he spoke to her softly, his hand gently easing her back down. Pulling the blankets back up he couldn't help but glance to her bandage wrapped torso, the sight making him frown. 

His voice, Ed's voice. God he sounded so real. It even sounded like he cared. This was torturous. You wanted to die, you just wanted to die. Whimpering you tried getting some kind of moisture into your mouth. "y..you're nnnot r..realll..." 

If it wasn't for the quietness of the room and the fact he was so close he probably wouldn't have been able to hear her. "I am real lass, I'm here." he assured her. His heart ached to know that she thought she was imagining him. Had it happened before or did she really believe he wouldn't come for her. 

"W..wwhy..."

Licking his lips he looked her in the eyes as she managed to open hers once again. "Because I love you..." Seeing her eyes tear up he furrowed his brows at how dull they looked, not the usual bright, loving look in them he was used to seeing. 

"j..justa nother t..trick.." feeling your heart clench you closed your eyes and felt warm tears roll across the bridge of your nose. This had to be hell, what had you done to deserve this?

Shaking his head he felt that pain in his chest and leaned closer to her. Cupping her face in his palm he brushed away her tears with his thumb. "No, no Y/n it isn't."

"y..you sssaid you didn't... you promised bbbut y..you ttthrew me awway.. jussst like everyooone else..." you cried, your voice breaking to match your heart. "Y..you gave meee t..to those men." 

It hurt so much to see her cry, worse than any wound he had ever endured. "That wasn't me, it wasn't me lass." hearing a beeping he glanced up to see her heart rate dropping he swallowed thickly and snapped his eyes back down to her. "Y/n, y/n look at me." he spoke, but she wasn't listening.

"...wasn't r..real... a..joke... a cruuule j..joke..."

She was panicking, her heart rate continuing to go up and down. With all of the blood lose and pain she likely believed none of this was real. Still he had to do something, he had to break her out of it or he might loose her. Quickly standing he made long strides over to the door and opened it, "Bring him here." he barked out to Jozu and saw his son quickly move towards the stairs. Shutting the door back for now he moved back over to the bed and crouched down, cupping her cheek in his hand while stroking her hair with the other. "Lass look at me. You open your eyes and you look at me right now." When her weak, tear filled eyes looked up at him he dipped his head down to hers. "It wasn't me, I swear it wasn't me and I'll prove it to ya." Looking over to the door as it was pushed open he saw Jozu and Vista dragging the man in and grit his teeth, giving a stiff nod. 

"Show her." Jozu spoke to the man.

"I... I didn't know they were going to do that to her... I swear I didn't..."

Seeing the man looking to Y/n with furrowed brows Vista unsheathed his sword and placed it to his neck. "Now."

In an instant the man was changing to look just like him. Snapping his eyes back down to Y/n he saw her looking towards the man in confusion, her tired eyes looking between the man and him. "It wasn't me, I would never say those things to you. He used his devil fruit powers to look like me so he could hurt you." 

Knitting your brows you breathed in as much as you could. "Wwhy... I...I don't understand..." 

"I was paid to miss. I.." 

"You don't speak to her." he snarled, looking back to the man. "Get him out of here." he grunted. Watching them take him out he let out a huff through his nose before looking back down to her and softening his face. She still looked so confused and he could tell all of this was making her exhausted. "I'll explain later, right now you need to rest." Watching her tired eyes try to stay open he pet her head. "Sleep my darlin'."

"E..enola..."

"The child is safe. You're safe." he assured her, her eyes already closing.

"w..will y..you.." 

"I'm not going anywhere sweetheart. Now get some rest." Kissing her cheek he watched her lashes stop fluttering as she gave up fighting sleep. Watching over her for a bit he glanced to her monitors to see all her vitals back to normal and grinned softly. Petting her hair he dipped his head to kiss her forehead before standing. He was still covered blood, both hers and that of those pirates. He had made the captain suffer for everything he had done to his Y/n before taking care of the rest of the crew along with everyone on the island that had anything to do with the slave trade. Needless to say he was in dire need of a shower and clean clothes. With one last glance down at her he moved to go wash up, leaving the door open just incase. 

.............................

She slept the next two days and not once did he leave her. Marco had come in at one point to heal her some more making him feel bad for how exhausted his son looked. He knew he had pushed himself as much as possible to keep her alive the day before. Demanding that he too go rest he continued watching over her. Zella had taken over Marco's role of giving her pain medicine to help her rest and changing bandages with his help. Every time he looked over her battered body he felt another stab of guilt.

Looking through pictures on her phone as he sat on the couch he had pulled over beside the bed he chuckled at the video. It was her and that boy, Keith. They looked to be younger in the video, maybe late teens or so. He could tell they were in the bar but no one else was there. Watching as the two went about trying to smack each other with the what looked to be wooden poles he huffed out when the boy swung to smack her ass but grinned as his lass swiftly swung the pole and knocked his feet out from under him. She seemed to have decent form, when she was fully healed and ready he would see about teaching her how to use a sword. His woman was no pushover by any means, she was a fighter. Even as injured and weak as she was she had managed to take out two of those pirates on her own. While he never planned on allowing harm to come to her again it wouldn't hurt for him to teach her some basic skills.

Izo had knocked on the door at one point before coming inside to bring him something to eat. 

_"How's the girl?"_

_"Good. Marco gave her a check up and concluded she is in perfect health."_

_"That's good to hear." he sighed, drinking his tea. It was hard for him to get the urge to eat when his starving lass was right beside._

_"She's been asking about Y/n a lot. When I was giving her a bath she told me about their time on that ship." Seeing his father's eyes drag away from the woman currently sleeping in the bed and look to him he took a deep breath. "She told me about how when they first got her Y/n was already down there. She said that Y/n stopped them from hurting her and because of it they beat her."_

_Closing his eyes he clenched his teeth._

_"The girl, Enola, she feels very guilty about it." Izo told him then grinned a bit. "She told all of us at supper last night that Y/n was her guardian angel."_

_Chuckling softly he looked back to his woman and smiled fondly._

The following day she woke again and this time he had to quickly stop her from moving again. Tossing the book he had been reading to the side he moved to sooth her. "No, no, no lass. You have to lay still or you'll rip your stitches." 

Groaning you tried pushing his hands away, "Back hurts." you managed to get out and heard him sigh before he was gently lifting you and helping you sit up. 

Stuffing the pillows behind her to help her lounge back he saw her eyes closed in a grimace and frowned. "I'll get Marco to come give ya some more pain medicine." 

"No." Shaking your head you finally opened your eyes to look at him. 

"Darlin'." 

"I'm fine. I don't want to sleep anymore right now." 

"Oh not this again." he said with a roll of his eyes. "Stubborn ass woman." 

"I thought that's what you liked about me." you said with a grin. 

Moving to sit on the edge of the bed by her legs he looked down at her. "Not when your health is involved." he grumbled, untangling the lines going into her arm. 

"I'm not going to die from being sore." 

Flinching he looked down to her hands. "Let's not talk about you dying." 

Hearing how low his voice had went you took one of his hands in yours and felt him give it a small squeeze before his eyes lifted back to yours. Remembering everything you blinked slowly "I rested, now tell me. Why did all this happen? Who paid that man to do that and why?"

Taking a deep breath he continued stroking her hand with his thumb. "It all starts with a woman named Bakkin..." Telling her everything, all of it he watched her eyes stay on him. She didn't say anything for a time but then she asked the question he knew was coming.

"Your sure he's not..."

"He's not my son Y/n. I promise you he isn't. I never slept with her. I'm no virgin lass but I told you the truth, I've never fathered any children, that I am sure of." Seeing her nod he searched her eyes, wanting to make sure she believed him. Once he was done telling her all of it he licked his lips. "I'm so sorry Y/n. This is all my fault. I promised you I would never let you get hurt and then this happens."

Shaking your head some you looked up into his sorrow filled eyes. " 's not your fault..."

"It is and don't you try to tell me it isn't." he said in a rough voice. Staring down at her he felt that knot form in his throat. "You were dead. I held your lifeless body in my arms lass. I... I just knew I had lost you...." he spoke, his voice thick with emotion. "How can I ask you to marry me when I failed you? A husband is supposed to protect his wife, take care of her..."

"And you think y...you don't?" you asked looking up into his eyes. Taking a deep breath you tried to summon all of your strength to tell him what you wanted to say. "Ed you have been looking after me since you showed up on that damn shore..." Seeing him go to interrupt you, you narrowed your eyes, "No. I'm talkin'. You hush and listen." 

"Givin' the captain orders again lass?" He asked with a small grin. 

"Right now I'm the captain... you can be the cabin boy." 

Not being able to stop the bark of laughter from leaving his throat he smiled softly and looked into her eyes, seeing the light he loved so much returning to them. "Alright then Miss Captain I'm listenin'." 

"You didn't fail me." breathing deeply you felt your ribs ache but refused to show pain. "Couples that are meant to be will go through everything that is meant to tear them apart and come out stronger." 

Chuckling softly he looked deeply into her eyes, "I thought it was supposed to be the old folks who give the life quotes." 

Smiling you looked up to him and raised your trembling hand that he wasn't holding out of the blanket and tugged on one of his golden locks to pull his lips down to yours. 

After nearly two weeks of being away from her, to kiss her again was a blessing. Sighing he held her hand in his, gently brushing her bruised knuckles with his thumb. Pulling away after a moment he pecked her cheek and brushed her nose with his. "I love you." 

"I love you too." you said softly, closing your eyes and focusing on the feeling of his warm lips, his hand petting your head. "Don't keep me in the dark okay? If something is going on tell me." you said and felt him nod his head.

"Yes my dear. I won't make the mistake again." he promised her and felt her lips peck his again. Looking over her face and admiring her eyes that looked tired but had that shine in them again he grinned. "You're so beautiful." 

"And you're lying through your teeth." you scoffed with a grin. 

"Am not."

"I feel like I got hit by a train and I know I probably look like a mummy wrapped up in all these bandages." you huffed, glancing down to your wrapped up torso and arms. 

Smiling he shook his head. "Yer always beautiful to me darlin'. Besides as much as I hate seeing you hurt, those bandages don't leave much to imagination." he said with a tilt of his head, dropping his eyes to the wrapped mounds on her chest. Feeling her smack his side weakly and call him a perv he chuckled. "In my defense I was supposed to have already been able to see them. along with the rest of that gorgeous body." 

Rolling your eyes slightly you couldn't help but grin at just being back with your true love, "Yea well you might not be that satisfied once you do, their not that impressive." you told him honestly, knowing that with you not eating your 'girls' had dropped in size as well. 

"Oh I can not wait to prove you wrong." he grinned confidently, leaning forward to kiss her. Hearing the small knock before the door opened again he felt her pull away and growled as he turned to look at Marco who was standing there with that guilty look again. "I'm starting to think yer doing this on purpose boy."

"I'm..." Letting out a long sigh the doctor looked to the woman when she told his father to leave him alone. "I'm glad to see you awake Y/n." 

Moving out of the way while his son went about checking over Y/n he moved to start a bath for her, having seen the desperation in her eyes when she asked Marco if she could take a shower. Not too long later did Zella come in to help her bathe. Leaving the room for a bit he walked out onto the deck for some fresh air and to assess where they were. The little girl had told them she was from Hand island and if he would guess they were about another two days sail from there. From what Rakuyo had told him the island had been taken over by some Marine commodore after his 'death'. He was a apparently forcing all the males to join the marines, threating their families to make sure they complied. He wasn't much looking forward to going back there but he had to return the child to her family.

Looking across to the little girl he saw her attempting to play cards with Blamenco and Jiru. Remembering what Izo had told him he felt his lips lift up a small amount. It really came of no surprise to him that his Y/n had been willing to give her life for the child, nor the little girl being so taken with her. There was no doubt in his mind that Y/n would make a wonderful mother but he wouldn't dwell on those thoughts. Children had not been a conversation they had had yet and he didn't even know if she wanted them. While he wanted nothing more than to have a child of his own he wouldn't force her if it was something she didn't want. Still it was a conversation they needed to have, especially before their wedding night. Now that he thought of it they hadn't even spoke about sex yet. He knew she was a virgin or rather he assumed she was based on the fact she had never even kissed anyone and she turned as red as a beet every time he made a comment about it. Crossing his arms over his chest he let out a sigh, it was a topic for a later time, right now he wanted her to focus on healing and besides they had plenty of time for little ones. 

.......................................

Once she had finished her bath he had walked into the room to see her standing by the window, wearing nothing but his shirt. Her thigh had been rebandaged and no doubt the rest of her injuries as well. It still angered him to know his lass had been forced to endure so much pain. No matter what she said he knew he would feel guilt for the rest of his life for failing to protect her. Although knowing that she had done all that to save that little girl made him feel proud. He was honored to soon be able to have such a caring, selfless woman as his wife.

Noticing how much larger his shirt was on her he knit his brows, the thing was like a baggy dress on her as it was and now it looked as though someone had just wrapped a bed sheet around her. Walking up behind her he couldn't help but worry about how frail she looked. Even being fifteen feet in height she was still so much smaller than him, not only just in height but overall. When he had lifted her up he had been able to easily tell the difference in her weight. Now looking at her he was afraid he would snap her if he hugged her to tightly.

Placing a hand on her back as he came up to stand beside her he saw her eyes look up to him, a soft smile gracing her lips. "You shouldn't be standing yet, you lost a lot of blood." he told her but she only hummed and looked back out the window. 'Stubborn woman'. At least if she did go to fall he was here to catch her. Glancing down to her neck he saw the necklace back there and tilted his head. Zella had given it to him when he had come back to the ship and Marco was finishing up with her. His daughter had informed him how Y/n had been holding onto it so tightly in her left hand and it wasn't until they had pried open her fingers that they had found it there. "You kept it, even though it seemed like I had said all those horrible things." he spoke in a low voice. 

Seeing him looking down to the necklace you grinned softly, your fingers moving to it on their own. "Of course I did." 

"Why?" She hadn't taken any of her clothes that he had bought her or any of the money he had stashed in the dresser. She hadn't even taken any food or other provisions but she had taken the simple necklace he had made her. It wasn't even anything special, just a piece of sea glass and a shell on a leather cord. f she had tried to sell it someone would likely laugh in her face. 

Looking down at the yellow glass you rubbed your thumb over the smooth surface. "Because it was the only thing I had left of you." you answered honestly, keeping your head down as you recalled how heartbroken you had been. At the time you had been sure that your necklace would be the only thing you would have that would remind you of your lost love. The only thing to prove he had been real, that for a time you had been close to having someone love you, want you, or at least pretend they had. 

Furrowing his brows he looked from it and then to her, feeling a small clench in his chest. Rubbing her back he felt her sway a bit and took her hand in his to lead her back to bed. 

"No not the bed..." you grumbled. 

"Yes the bed." Helping her into the bed he pulled the covers over her legs just as a knock sounded at the door. Bidding the person inside he saw it was Izo again with a tray of food. 

"Brought you something to eat Y/n, nothing too extravagant I'm afraid, Marco said it's best to start you off with something bland." he told the woman as he moved over to place the tray down on her lap. 

Looking to the man as he walked over you gave him a smile. "Thank you Izo." 

"Of course." was all he said before leaving the two alone again. 

Seeing her looking at the food with an uncertain face he sighed. "I know you're probably not hungry darlin' but you have to eat something." 

Knowing he was right you reached out for the bowl of rice porridge. Only being able to eat about half of it before getting full you placed it down but he was quick to lift it back up and scoop some onto the spoon. 

"You're not done yet." Seeing her go to speak he looked at her pointily, "Y/n eat." pushing the spoon towards her lips she leaned back and groaned that she was full. Sighing he tapped his foot and narrowed his eyes before getting an idea and lifting his chin. "You eat five more bites and I'll take you out onto the deck for a bit." Without a moment's hesitation she leaned forward and took the spoon into her mouth. Once he had fed her four more big spoonful's he grabbed his jacket that one of the crew hand managed to wash her blood out of and wrapped it around her before lifting her up into his arms. 

Wrapping your arms around his neck as he took you outside you breathed in the fresh air deeply, even when it caused your ribs to throb. Blinking at the afternoon sun you looked over the deck to see all of Ed's sons and..."

"Y/n!" Enola yelled as she ran over to the giant holding her friend, Unknowingly making everyone else look to her as well. 

Seeing his love smile down at the little girl he grinned. Moving over to sit her down on one of the larger chairs he tugged his jacket tighter around her small frame and saw the child quickly climb up to sit with her. 

Wincing a little when Enola wrapped her arms around your neck to hug you, you saw Ed move to pull her away and say something but quickly took his hand and gave him a smile telling him it was okay. 

"I'm sorry Y/n I... I didn't want you to get hurt I..."

Hearing her crying you rubbed her back. "It's alright. It wasn't your fault and I don't want you to think it was okay." you told her and felt her nod in your shoulder. When she pulled back you brushed her now clean hair out of her face and gave her a smile. Seeing her look up to your beloved you glanced over to him as he crouched down beside the chair you were in. 

"I haven't had the chance to formally meet you yet little one, mind tellin' me your name?" 

"Enola." she told him with a shy smile. 

Humming he smiled at her, "That's a pretty name."

"What's your name?" she asked sitting in Y/n's lap and playing with the damp woman's hair like she had done on the ship. 

"Edward." he told her with a grin. 

"Are you the Captain?" 

"Me? No I'm just the cabin boy." he said and saw all of his sons look to him like he had grown another head but felt Y/n smack his shoulder and call him a 'smartass' making him smile largely. 

After being introduced to all of Ed's sons you found yourself being lifted up again after Zella had come to take Enola who had fallen asleep in your arms. Looking to Ed you saw him give you a grin and tell you it was time for you to rest again. While you would have complained you were actually really tired and simply laid your head on his shoulder. Almost in the cabin you knit your brows when you noticed something shining in the water a ways away from the ship. "What's that?"

Surprised when she didn't give him a fuss he carried her back to the cabin but stopped when he heard her speak. Humming he glanced down o her and then out to where she was looking. "What's what lass?"

Looking over the water you tried to spot it again but it was gone. "There was something glowing in the water." 

Hearing this he turned towards the sea and scanned over the dark water but didn't see anything. Using his haki he didn't feel anything either. Noticing her still looking over the water with tired eyes he inhaled and brushed back her hair that was blowing in the wind. "Probably just a school of fish lass." 

Nodding you blinked and felt him turn back towards the cabin. Glancing over his shoulder you saw it again, two glowing blue dots. Thinking it was just your mind you rested your head on his shoulder.

Tucking her in and giving her a kiss he went to take a quick shower. Once he was out he walked over to the bed and saw her eyes closed. Thinking she was sleeping he had leaned down to give her forehead a kiss and pull the blankets up over her but to his surprise she had wrapped her arm around his bicep and gave a weak tug. 

"Sleep with me." you said in a tired voice. 

"No lass, you're still too injured and I might..."

"Please. I miss your warmth." you whined. Forcing your heavy eyes open you looked up at him, begging him silently. 

Looking down into the big doe eyes he sighed. She really did have him wrapped around her finger, and she didn't even know it. He would give her the world if she asked for it. Pushing his hands under her he gently eased her over some and moved into the bed beside her. 

As much as it pained you, you used all your remaining strength to cuddle up to him as much as possible. Feeling his arm wrap around you and stroke your upper arm you sighed comfortably and drifted off into a peaceful sleep for the first time in two weeks. 

.............................

"Pops. Pops wake up." 

Waking with a start he snapped his eyes open and looked up to see Marco standing there. Something off made him turn his head sharply and glance beside him to see Y/n gone. Feeling around for her just incase he concluded the bed was empty and felt his heart hammer in his chest. Looking back to his son he opened his mouth to speak when Marco placed a hand to his own lips. 

"Come on." 

Standing quickly he followed the blond out of the dark cabin and out onto the moonlit deck. "Marco where is y..." Seeing the smaller man pointing out he followed his finger and felt his breath catch in his throat. In an instant he felt his feet move for him and he went to hurry to her but was stopped by someone grabbing his wrist. Looking down he saw Namur standing there. Now that he looked across the deck he noticed the rest of the crew was there as well, only Zella and the little girl missing. When Namur shook his head in warning, his eyes serious, he breathed heavily and looked back to his woman, fear filling him.

She was standing there, on the edge of the deck, right behind the railing. Even though it was chilly out she only wore his large button up shirt, the white material and her hair blowing in the wind. She didn't even seem to notice any of them, her eyes focused on the thing in front of her, the thing that was making his blood run cold. It was like no sea king he had ever seen before with it's blueish-silver scales and glowing blue eyes that were starring at his love. He didn't know wither to describe it as a dragon or a serpent. It's sharp teeth were larger than her whole body and he could make out rows of them from here, the things seeming to reflect the moon. Two giant horns came backwards off of it's head and down it's neck he could see many fins a few shades darker than the rest of him with black veining. Overall the thing was huge, had to be five times the size of the ship.

His heart beat so hard in his chest he was sure the beast could hear it. However it's eyes stayed on Y/n as she stood in front of it with not terror on her face, not fright but wonder. Seeing her small hand lift and move towards the monster he stiffened and took a step towards her but again felt his son's grab him. To his surprise the beast did not consume her but lowered it's head to allow her to touch it's long snout. Seeing her hand rub the creature he watched it's eyes close, a sigh leaving it's nostrils that was so powerful it fanned over the deck of the ship. He heard mummers along the crew, everyone wondering the same thing as him, just what the hell was going on? 

She just stood there for a long moment, the monster seeming to bow it's head to her. As it's fins started glowing as bright as it's eyes he knit his brows, was it preparing for an attack? Snapping his eyes back up to Y/n when he noticed her form sway a little he saw her lidded eyes fluttering. Seeing her knees go to buckle he moved forward, shrugging off his sons hands when they attempted to stop him. Getting about five feet away from her the creature's eyes snapped back open and looked to him. Starring back until he reached her he finally broke from it's gaze to look down at her. Gently moving his arms around her he felt her trembling slightly and saw her lidded eyes lift to look at him. When her knees finally gave out he lifted her up in his arms and cradled her to his bare chest. Seeing her exhausted eyes looking up he followed them and saw the beast now focused back on her. Without another moments hesitation it turned it's massive head and went back into the sea, the only proof being the rocking of the ship as the waves slammed against the side. Starring out over the dark water he saw it's tail disappear and then it was gone. 

"What the fuck was that?" Blenheim asked. 

"A sea king?" Atmos questioned. 

"I ain't never seen a sea king that big before." Kingdew added.

"I think it was a Ceirean but their supposed to be just a legend. A story told to children back home." Nemur said gruffly. 

"Well whatever it is I hope it doesn't come back." 

"Croin."

Hearing her soft voice he looked down and saw her still looking out over the sea. "What lass?"

"His name... it's Croin." 

"And how do you know that?" Jozu huffed out. 

"He told me." you said finally breaking your eyes from the water and looking up to meet Ed's yellow eyes. 

"Pops' lady speaks to sea monsters." Jiru gasped. 

"Well in that case Y/n would you mind askin' your friend to not scare the livin' hell out of us?" Curiel asked in a deep voice. 

He said nothing only looked back into her eyes as she stared up into his. Licking his lips he turned towards the cabin. "Everyone back to bed, Rakuyo you're on watch." 

"Alright Pops." 

"How the hell we supposed to sleep after that?" Fossa grumbled. 

Taking her back to their bed he set her down on it and then took her upper arms in his hands, "What the hell were you thinking? After everything that just happened you go and... how did you even get out of bed without me knowing? Why did you go out there?" 

Looking up at him you saw his yellow eyes searching yours, fear and worry clear in them. "He called me."

"What do you mean he called you?"

"I was sleeping and then I heard someone calling my name. I thought it was you at first but it wasn't. I tried to go back to sleep but it... I don't know how to explain it."

"Try." he said in a deep voice. 

"It just sorta beckoned me. Before I knew it I was out of bed and on the deck. I don't even remember how I got out there I just was."

"Why didn't you wake me up? Do you know how dangerous that was? How foolish? That thing could have killed you, hell it could have killed all of us. You can't just..."

Curling up some and lowering your eyes when they started to fill with tears you felt your heart constrict. "I..I'm sorry. I..I didn't mean to...I didn't even know wh... I'm sorry..." you whispered. You had messed up. You had messed up and now he was mad at you. You had endangered everyone, if something would have happened it would have all been your fault. He was right to be mad. Something could have happened to him, his sons, to Zella and Enola. What if he tossed you away for real this time? He couldn't have someone around that would put his family in jeopardy. 

She was crying, he had made her cry. In an instant he was releasing her arms. He had let his emotions get the better of him and because of it he had hurt her. Hearing her whisper that she was sorry as her small frame curled up and her eyes stare down in what he assumed was guilt he felt that clenching in his heart. She had said she didn't even know what had happened, she hadn't meant to do it and still he had scolded her for it. After everything that had just happened he knew both of their emotions were still raw but he also noticed that she was quick to shut down when she thought he was angry or disappointed with her. He knew from past experiences with his sons that it was from her past. More than likely she always assumed the worst, that he would abandon her because she had not done something to his liking. Now after what had just happened he would bet that those fears were even worse.

Closing his eyes he let out a deep sigh and moved to sit on the bed and gently pull her into his lap. He could tell she was tense and so he wrapped his arms around her and placed his hand on her head to make her lay it on his chest. "No lass, I'm sorry. I was worried and afraid and I let it cloud my mind. I just... I can't lose you and seeing you so close to that thing... I thought the worst. I had no right to take it out on you though and I'm sorry darlin'." Feeling her relax a little but not look up at him he kissed the crown of her head, "Please don't cry sweetheart." 

Nuzzling into his chest you kept your eyes closed, trying to suck up as much of his comforting warmth and smell as you could. Listening to the beating of his strong heart you breathed out a soft sigh. 

They just sat there silently in the dark room for a time. He could tell by her silence that she was still upset. When he heard her let out a yawn he sighed and held her with one arm while he moved her to lay down on the bed. Tugging up the blankets over them as he settled beside her he kissed her brow. "Goodnight lass. I love you."

"Love you too." you said softly. 

Draping his arm over her he stroked her arm and felt her relax into his front as she feel back asleep. Leaving his arm there he closed his eyes, if she went to get up again he would know. 


	19. Chapter 19

Waking up the next morning he instantly felt his woman still laying beside him, his arm laying over her where he had left it. Opening his eyes he glanced down at her and saw her laying more on her side, facing away from him. He could tell she was awake, could see her eyes opened some and her lashed moving as she blinked every so often. She was just staring at the wall as she silently traced the grain of the wood on the wall with the tip of her finger. How long had she been awake? Normally she would have tried to get up but she hadn't, he would have felt it if she had. He couldn't help but wonder if it was because of last night. Noticing her lips moving ever so slightly he blinked, she wasn't making a sound, was she singing? Trying to make out what she was saying he couldn't, her lips barely moving. "Whatcha singin' there darlin'?" 

Flinching at the deep husky voice from behind you, you quickly snapped your eyes back to look up at the no longer sleeping giant. "Evermore." you answered, your voice still soft. 

Humming he gently rolled her the rest of the way over and propped his head up on his hand so he could look down at her. Flickering his eyes over her face he noted the bruises that had been staining her skin were almost gone, only a slight decolorization there, even the shadows under her eyes were fading. Brushing her hair back he looked back to her eyes and then down to her lips. Leaning forward he pressed his own to hers and felt that warmth grow in his chest.

The kiss went nothing beyond small pecks, neither of you having any desire for more. Bringing your hand up to his neck you twirled a strand of his hair around your finger, touching his strong jaw. As he pulled away some to look down at you with those warm but apologetic eyes you traced the lines of his face. When something caught your attention though you looked to your wrist and knit your brows.

Seeing her look he furrowed his own brows, "What's wrong darling?"

Moving your other arm out from between you both you felt him lift some to help. Grabbing hold of the drooping bandage wrapped there you started unraveling it.

"Lass, leave it.." he went to say but she quickly ignored him and removed the gauze anyway. At first he didn't see what had caught her attention but then it hit him and he blinked. Where just a few hours ago was raw skin was now only slightly red. Before he had time to react she was pulling off the other bandage on the other wrist.

Seeing it healed as well you pushed on his chest to get him to lift up some and tossed up the covers, ducking your head under you pulled at the tape and gauze over the long gash over your hip. Feeling him go to lift the covers as well you blushed but ignored it. Finishing with the dressing you moved it aside and saw the stitched wound healed, only a faint red line remaining under the sutures.

Looking down at her hip he knit his brows, his hand moving out to rub around the healed sword wound. There was no way it should already be healed, even with Marco helping.

Thinking you took in a deep breath, it didn't hurt, it was a little sore but nothing like before. Knitting your brows you sat up and moved to get up.

"Now darlin' don't..."

"I'm not hurting anymore." you told him. 

Sitting up as she stood beside the bed he watched her unravel the bandage around her thigh, there was a slight bit of blood on it but when she bent some to try and look at it he saw her lisp turn up some. Grabbing her arm he turned her around enough so he could look at the gunshot wound but it wasn't there. Only a red dot remained under the few stitches. Before he could react she was moving across the room and into the bathroom, the door pushing close to only leave a crack. Standing he watched as more bandages fell to the floor through said crack and then he heard a small gasp. "Lass what's wrong?" he asked, hurrying over to the door.

"If Marco is awake do you think you could ask him to come here." you asked through the door. Hearing him walk away and then the opening of the door you dropped your shoulders when you heard him yell out for his son. "I said if he was awake." you grumbled.

"He's awake now." he spoke, shutting the door back. "Is something wrong?"

"No. The opposite actually."

Before he had time to question any further Marco was coming into the cabin.

"What's wrong?" Seeing his father point to the bathroom door he furrowed his brows and walked forward, knocking lightly on it. "Y/n did something open back up or..." Peaking into the door he raised his brows. "Well damn.... ah..."

"What? What's wrong?" he asked, now worried.

"Nothing... I don't think... I... how is that even possible?" Marco asked stopping mid sentence to think aloud.

"Marco."

"I'll explain in a bit go wait outside." he said, waving his father off.

Knitting his brows he crossed his arms over his chest. "Not until..."

"Pops I don't know anything right now, when I do I'll let you know."

Sighing he turned and grabbed his boots before heading out onto the deck. It only took about twenty minutes before Marco was walking out of the room with a calm look on his face. "Well?"

"I don't know how but she is healed. She still needs to take it easy, she's still got some bruises and her broken ribs are still tender but as far as the gunshot wounds and sword slice, they're healed. I was even able to take the stitches out." 

Blinking he knit his brows. "How is that possible they were open wounds only last night." 

Shrugging Marco look up at his father and grinned. "Beats me. I do find it awfully strange though that that creature showed up last night and then randomly Y/n is all healed." 

Glancing out to the sea he offset his jaw in thought before looking back down to Marco, "So what is she doing now?"

"Taking a shower." 

Nodding he thanked his first before heading to the kitchen to get her something to eat, finding Jiru and Izo had taken over cooking.

"Morning pops." Izo greeted. 

"Mornin' What will it be?" Jiru asked with a grin. 

After getting them both a plate of food and her some juice he carried the tray back up to his cabin, hearing the shower turning off from the bathroom. 

Looking down at your no longer battered body you grinned and dried off. Slipping on your panties you let out a curse when you realized you didn't have your bra. Pulling on his shirt again you opened the door to go search for your bra but froze when you saw him in the room as well. Having not heard him come in you just did move the unbuttoned shirt back over your bare boobs as he lifted his head to look at you. "Ed I'm sorry I..I didn't know you were in here..." 

Starring down at her he saw her holding the shirt over her breasts. Glancing to her eyes and blushing cheeks for a moment he stepped forward and moved his hand to push under the shirt, parting the open front so he could look at her no longer bruised and cut stomach. "I don't know how but I'm thankful." Tilting his head some as he glanced over her ribs the best he could he saw them too only holding a light bruise. Grabbing her hip he turned her around to look at her lower back where the other gunshot wound was. 

Feeling him lift the bottom of the shirt you couldn't help but stiffen up, your face, ears and neck burning as he saw your panty clad ass. 

His eyes first went to the gunshot wound, finding it healed just like the other one. Rubbing his thumb over the area he smiled. Grinning slightly his eyes dropped down on their own to admire her backside. Instantly he felt heat pool to his pelvis and his cock twitch in his pants. He could tell they were bigger on her now that she had lost weight but the web-like pattern still left enough for him to see the bottom of her ass cheeks. Licking his lips he couldn't stop his hand from reaching out to rub the side of her hip and down her thigh, his thumb brushing over her soft skin. It had seemed like forever since he had been able to feel her skin beneath his hand, even when it was only a bit of it. "These things don't cover much darlin'. Not that I'm complainin'." 

Spinning around and yanking down the shirt you saw him giving you that fox grin and smacked his arm, "They're called cheeky, it's a style thank you very much." you grumbled as what felt like all of your blood rushed to your face. 

Chuckling he leaned over her some and rubbed his hand up her thigh while the other wrapped around her to hold her to him. "Mmmm an appropriate name." Her face was completely covered in a blush and he found it adorable. Moving his hand up to grab her bottom in his large hand he heard her let out a little chirp the sound making him smile more. "I'll be buying you some more of those."

His voice was so deep and sultry, it sent a surge straight down your spine. Being held in his hands you closed your eyes when his lips claimed yours once again, this time with desire fueling it. Before long you felt him lift you up, your legs parting on their own as he pulled you to his massive chest. His warm hand was holding your ass, supporting you like you weighted nothing. Your own hands took refuge on his shoulder and chest as you felt him move. 

Laying her down on the bed he followed her, never once breaking from her mouth. Slowly rolling his tongue into her mouth he couldn't help the low growl that rumbled in his chest. Deepening the kiss he lowered his upper body to hers but made sure to hold his weight off her with his forearms. He rolled his tongue about her mouth, making a mental map in his head. He could feel her hands on his shoulder and chest, feel her skin on his where her shirt had opened up some. When he felt her completely relaxed and the need for more grew too great he started trailing soft kisses down her chin and over her jaw towards her throat. Peppering open mouth kisses down her throat he slowly started sucking. Groaning deeply he sucked a spot just under her jaw and felt as her hands gripped him a little harder, the one on his shoulder pulling his hair slightly. Looks like he found her sweet spot. His face cracked into a victorious smirk, flicking his tongue out he teased her skin with the tip of his tongue. 

Was there a secret button on your neck or something? You didn't know what he was doing to make you feel this way but you were suddenly very warm. Clinging to him in fear you would float away you felt something wet trace over your throat and sucked in a sharp breath. One of his hands was now massaging your hip while the other one held his massive form above yours. It was like your body was on fire. There was that throbbing between your thighs again. Biting your lip you curled your toes and then a sudden sharp pain made you let out a noise that was somewhere between a moan and a yelp. Instantly your hand on his shoulder flew to your face, covering your mouth. 

She had moaned, he had gotten her to moan just by nipping her neck. Oh fuck if she was this responsive to his mouth how would she react when he started touching her? Sucking harder he heard her make another noise but it was muffled, why did it sound muffled. Looking up he saw her hand covering her mouth and her eyes shut tight. Moving his hand from her hip he grabbed her wrists. "Oh no lass. You will not keep those pretty sounds from me. If I earn em' their mine." he told her as he pulled her hand away from her mouth, nipping at her neck again to earn a whimper. When she tried fighting him he held her hands above her head in his. Sucking a deep mark over her special spot he heard her let out a soft moan, her legs tightening on either side of him. "Now that is music to my ears." he hummed deeply. Seeing her a blushing mess and avoiding his eyes he chuckled.

Smacking his shoulder he only chuckled more. "You enjoy torturing me."

"Guilty." he smirked.

"What if your sons hear?"

"They're big boys, they know what mamas and daddies do." he told her as he leaned on his elbow and smiled down at her. Twirling a strand of her hair around his finger he admired his soulmate under him. Dropping his eyes to the purple mark he had left he felt pride fill his chest, now those were the only kind of marks he wanted to see on her. Tracing his teeth impression with his finger he let his eyes slowly move down to the parted shirt. Seeing her chest almost bare he groaned. 

Hearing his deep noise you looked to him and then down to see the shirt you were wearing laid completely open, only your nipples covered. Seeing his face staring down and feeling his body tense up you smirked when his eyes closed. Moving to finish pulling the white material to each side you saw his eyes snap open.

Snapping his eyes back down to her tits he swallowed hard. Of fuck they were perfect. Not the biggest he had ever seen but he wouldn't trade them for all the gold in the world. Two perky mounds with nipples a couple shades darker than her skin. Seeing them only slightly hardened he felt his mouth water and his cock threaten to break through the seam of his pants. The tattoo between them was a simple design and he craved to trace the ink with his tongue. Slipping his hand up her side he went to cup one while moving to take the other into his mouth but before he could she was covering his mouth and grabbing his wrist with the other. Forcing his eyes up to hers he knit his brows when he saw her smirking. 

"You torture me, I torture you." you told him and saw those gold eyes darken. Giggling and turning when he quickly went to try and move back to touch your breasts you heard him growl. 

Looking at her laying on her side under him with her arms wrapped around her top he narrowed his eyes. "Seductress." 

"You started it." you grinned. 

Huffing he pushed himself up to kneel on the bed and stared down at her. Rubbing his hand over her hip he felt his cock throb painfully in his pants as he looked to her lace covered treasure. "You just wait my little vixen, come our wedding night I will remember your teasing." 

"Promise?" you smirked but let out a little yelp when his large hand came down on your bottom. 

"Consider it one of my vows." he smiled. 

.................................

"You threw away my pants, my nice jeans?" you gawked up at the man. Even with him sitting in the chair at his desk in the cabin he was taller than you by at least a head.

"Darling' they had holes and rips all in them and were soaked red with blood, your blood." he told her with a roll of his eyes. 

"I could have fixed them... those things cost me like fifty bucks." you pouted.

"No you couldn't have, they were too far gone. I'll buy you more." hearing her groan he let out a huff. "Why must you be so difficult, every woman I've ever met was all too happy for a man to buy them things." 

Crossing your arms over your chest you looked up at him. "Because I'm not most women. I've always got along on my own and I don't like other people buying me things.... it feels wrong... greedy." you mumbled as you thought it over in your head, your eyes dropping down. 

Hearing this he leaned forward to grab his shirt she was wearing and pull her to stand between his spread legs. Lifting his large hands to rub up and down her upper arms, "Lass you are going to be my wife. You are my soulmate and I love you. I'd say all those things make it perfectly acceptable for you to take advantage of your soon to be husband's fortune." When she still refused to look up to him he grinned softly and curled his finger under her chin. "As I remember you bought me clothes and such when I was in your world." Seeing her go to object he rose his chin and brow, "Don't even, I saw the price tag on that coat." he told her quickly and saw her lips close. "Sweetheart you are not greedy, far from it actually, don't know how I'm supposed to make a pirate out of you... but I will find a way don't you worry yer pretty little head." he said and chuckled when he saw her grin slightly. Stroking her slightly bruised cheek gently he smiled. "It makes me happy to buy you things, clothes, jewelry, whatever else it is women want..."

"I'd rather have books." 

Chuckling he nodded, "Books. Point is darlin' that if there is something you want tell me and I'll buy it for ya. Don't give a damn how much it cost so long as it makes you happy." 

"I don't need all that fancy stuff to be happy. So long as I got you and a good book then I'm happy." you told him. Smiling softly when he lifted your hand to his lips to kiss your knuckles you looked down as another thought crossed your mind. 

Seeing her look down and a light blush tint her cheeks he knit his brows some. When she went to move away from him he tightened his hold on her hand. "There's something else..." 

Looking up to him you shook your head and gave him a small grin. "Just a thought. I'ma go see if Izo can help me figure out something to we..." 

"Tell me." 

"It's nothing." 

Leaning forward when she kept trying to ignore the subject he lifted her up to straddle his lap, keeping his one arm around her while his other rested on her thigh, his hand rubbing the soft skin there. "What is it? I'll buy it lass, whatever it is, I'll get it for you.."

"Really it's nothing it's... it's not even something that cost anything...well it does over time but you don't go and buy it from a store or anything..." 

"Not understanding sweetheart.." 

"Just forget it, it isn't something to worry about right now anyway and..." you said, shaking your head and trying to wiggle down from his lap as you got embarrassed. 

Holding her still he looked down at her, lifting his free hand up to stroke her cheek and lift her eyes to his. 

He didn't have to speak, his eyes said it all. Swallowing hard you took in a shaky breath and lifted your hand to play with the end of his hair that was laying over his shoulder, your eyes dropping. Licking your lips you felt your heart hammer in your chest. "A family..." you said softly. 

Smiling softly he tucked her hair behind her ear and looked down at her. "Lass you already have a family. Me, you, my sons, Zella, we are all family." Seeing her smile so largely and her downcast eyes glance up to him as they turned glassy and she looked back down he could have kicked himself in the ass, he should have made that clear weeks ago. He knew it was in her book, on her list. She wanted to be apart of a family, to mean something to someone. Neither of which she had ever felt before. Still though he could see something else hidden in them, some other longing and he wanted to know what it was. What else was it that his love wanted, needed to be happy. 

"Thank you. You really don't know how much that means to me." you told him, your voice a bit shaky as your emotions took over. 

"What else... what else did you mean by that. I know you, I know there is something else." he spoke in a low deep voice. 

Now running your fingertips over his tight skin, feeling the strong muscles underneath you felt your nerves eating away at you. You were nervous to tell him, embarrassed. What if he didn't desire the same thing? What if you were thinking to fast, too far into the future. Hearing him say your name in that deep husky voice you closed your eyes. "A family... one we make together... a...a baby..." 

Her voice was so soft he almost didn't hear what she said but he knew she had said it. A baby. She wanted a baby. She wanted to give him a child, to make him a father, a real one. He had to remember to breath and blink. 

He hadn't said anything. Swallowing the lump in your throat you felt your eyes fill with more tears but quickly tried to blink them away. You knew you shouldn't have said anything. The two of you hadn't even had sex yet, you weren't even married and you were already bringing up children. Stupid. You were so stupid. Licking your lips you kept your eyes down and gave a small shake of your head. "I'm sorry I... just forget I said anything." 

Feeling her try and slip down from his lap he came back to and tightened his arm around her, now holding her flush to his body. "No." Seeing her shoulders curl inward as the single word fell from his lips he quickly shook his head. "I don't mean no on us having a baby darlin'. I meant I wasn't going to forget it, that you are not going to apologize to me." Smiling he cupped her cheek and forced her eyes to his. "My lass wants a baby?" Seeing her nod he felt a warming in his heart. 

"One day." you spoke quietly. 

Humming he dipped his head down to kiss her. Holding the back of her head with one hand he rubbed the other one up and down her back. Damn he wanted her, they really needed to get back to Sphinx so they could finally be wed. Kissing her lips he smiled softly, "Then a baby you will have." he assured before kissing her once again.

..............................

For the remainder of the day you hung out with Enola. Ed had told you that morning that you all should be arriving at her home island early tomorrow morning so you wanted to make your time with her count. She helped you and Zella make ginger cookies for everyone which Zella was happy about since she had apparently been suffering from sea sickness. After that she insisted on braiding your hair which you had painstakingly sat through, giving your soon to be husband playful glares as he sat looking at your suffering with a large smile on his face, laughing every so often. Lastly you had kept her busy by showing her how to braid rope to make a bracelet. "You see our bracelets match that's because they're friendship bracelets." 

When it was supper time the entire crew sat in the mess hall to share the meal together. Enola had mostly sat in your lap as she listened to the crew tell stories and laugh. All in all it was nice. Every now and again you would glance to your man and see him just staring at you with a soft smile on his face. That night after you had laid Enola down in the bed made up for her you joined your Ed out on the deck. It was dark, the only lights coming from the lanterns and full moon but it made the air very relaxing. Sitting in his lap as he sat on the floor of the deck, leaning back against the mast you stared up at the stars and heard him sigh. "Whatcha thinkin' about there captain?"

Blinking slowly he adjusted himself on the mast, continuing to hold her back to him. "Oh nothing really darlin' just thinkin'... Ya know you looked mighty contempt with that lil' one today. I think when we do have a child I'd like a little girl, a beautiful little girl with her mama's bright smile and caring eyes."

"No they have to have eyes like you."

"Don't you go cursing our chil... wait a minute, they?" 

Humming you smiled, leaning back into his warm, hard chest and continuing to look up at the sky. Tracing over his knuckles you pushed your hand under his and glanced down to the difference in size. Holding it up you saw your fingers only came up to about half of his and his were much thicker. 

"Just how many babies do you want lass?" he asked, his heart thumping loudly. When she only hummed and tilted her head a bit he waited not so patiently, his eyes also looking to their hands. Seeing how small her hand was he bent his fingers to cover hers. "Well?"

Smiling you pushed your fingers back up his, opening his large hand fully and moving your fingers to make his wiggle some. 

It took him a few more moments than it should have. Feeling her move his fingers he looked to his hand and then down to her smiling face and then back to his hand. "F.fi... five?" he stuttered and heard her only give a small chirp of a hum. All of a sudden he felt very light. Five, she wanted five little ones. Five babies. 

Not hearing him say anything you knit your brows and looked up to him. Seeing a large smile on his face that honestly looked a bit goofy you grinned. "Ed..." Holding onto him as he moved to lay flat on the deck you couldn't help but giggle lightly when he said the word 'five' over and over. Bending down to kiss him you laid on his chest and nuzzled him, feeling his hand rub your back. "I love you Ed."

"An' I love you lass." 

..................................

With Izo's help you managed to turn one of Ed's shirts into a off the shoulder dress to wear while you returned Enola to her parents. Looking over the island you smiled bittersweetly and felt your giant rub your back. 

"I want you to stay by me alright lass." he said and saw her nod. Holding her hand as they made their way off the ship he looked to her and saw her holding Enola who was busy pointing out all of her island's landmarks and stuff. Going the way the little girl told them her home was in he saw many people looking his way and was glad he had decided to leave his jacket on the ship. He had even ditched his bandana for the time being. There were a few marines walking around and he was sure to keep y/n close to him. Some of the men he recognized from when he had claimed the island before. It angered him to know that this commodore Bilic as he had been told was now forcing them to become marines. 

Looking around at all the buildings and such as you walked you grinned when Enola told you about her favorite ice cream shop down the way. She told you how she loved their strawberry flavor and then answered her when she asked you what yours was. Continuing on you walked along the path towards the more rural part of the island where Enola said her parents lived. As the three of you made it to the top of the little hill you saw a small home with a large garden and barn there and heard Enola gasp. 

"There it is! That's my house Y/n." 

Smiling at how excited she was you saw a man working on something outside the front of the house look up, he was dressed in the white uniform like the others, marines you guessed. When he looked up you saw his eyes go wide. Placing Enola down when she met his eyes you felt a warmth in your chest when she started running towards him. 

"DADDY! DADDY!"

"Enola? ENOLA!" the man yelled, dropping what was in his hands and moving forward to lift his daughter up into his arms. 

Seeing a woman with a small bundle come hurrying out of the house at the commotion you watched as tears filled her eyes and she hurried over to the two. Standing beside Ed you watched as the family was reunited with one another. Leaning into his side you felt his warm hand rub your back and sighed. Lacing your fingers with his own you turned to leave but before you could get far you heard Enola call out for you. 

"Y/n wait where are you going?" she asked wiggling down from her parents hold and running back over to her friend. Furrowing her brows she looked up at the woman who had saved her and tilted her head. "Y..you're leaving?"

Smiling down at her you crouched down and reached out to brush back her hair. "I have to go. You're back home now, back with your family." you told her in a soft voice. 

"B..but I thought we were friends?" she said, a tear leaving her eye.

"I am you're friend and you are my friend. Remember our bracelets?" seeing her look to the one on your wrist and then hers she nodded. "And do you remember what I told you about friends?"

Sniffling she nodded, "That friendship is a knot that cannot be untied." 

Smiling you rubbed her arms, "That's right." Glancing up when her parents came to stand behind her you saw them both smiling with tears in their eyes. Looking back down to Enola you sighed and brushed away her tears. "Now no more crying okay, this is a happy day. I know your mama and daddy missed you very much." 

"We don't know how to thank you both for bringing our Enola back to us." the woman cried. 

Reaching into his back pocket the man grabbed his wallet and started to reach into it. "I know it's not much but please take..."

Standing and shaking your head you didn't get time to speak before Ed was cutting in. 

"No. We don't want your money."

"Please, you returned our daughter to us... you got her back from those those..." the woman said but coudln't manage to get the rest out. "We thought she was lost forever..."

"Please take it..." 

"No. Doing the right thing shouldn't cost anything." you said, feeling Ed's hand go to your lower back. Smiling down to Enola and then back up to her parents you sighed. "You have a very kind little girl." Seeing them smile fondly down at her you licked your lips and looked down at her. "You stay close to your mama and daddy now okay?" Seeing her nod you leaned down to hug her. 

"I'm going to miss you." she said in a sad voice. 

"Don't cry little one, We'll come back and then she can come visit you." he said when he saw the little girl so upset. 

Smiling you pulled away to look at her. "You see there. This isn't goodbye forever."

"Promise?"

"I promise." Seeing her nod and give a sad smile you hugged her once more before standing. "When I come back again we can go to that ice cream place you were telling me about." 

"Okay. And Zella can come too." she smiled. 

"I can't come?" he asked with a grin and saw her shake her head.

"You can't come you're a boy."

Chuckling he rubbed his darling's back. "Alright then I understand, girls only." 

Saying your goodbyes the two of you started back towards town. You thought you were going to go back to the ship but surprisingly some of the others were waiting for you just outside of the trees. 

"Alright my lass why don't you and Zella go inta town and shop around while me an' some of the boys go deal with some things." he told her, taking out the money from his pocket and pushing it into her hand. 

Looking down when you felt him put something in your hand you saw it was a wad of money and knit your brows at the amount. Opening and closing your mouth you raised your eyes back to his and tried to give him the money back "I don't need this." 

"Well keep it incase you find something you like?" he told her. Seeing her go to object again he sighed and took the money. Seeing her face relax he held it out towards his sons. "Izo." he called. Seeing his son walk forward he kept his eyes on his soon to be wife. "You're with the women. Don't let them out of your sight and If she looks at something for too long buy it. Make sure she gets some new clothes...." Glancing down to her bare feet he looked to his son. "And shoes." 

"Yes Pop." 

Letting out a huff you saw him smirk and then looked to Zella as she walked forward with her ever present kind smile on her face. 

"Come on Y/n we can look at baby clothes." Walking away with her friend and brother in law she stopped and looked back to her husband and the others. "Marco honey don't..."

"Yea I know, I'll get your watermelon and peanut butter." he said and heard all of his brothers and father laugh. 

"Watermelon and peanut butter?" you asked with a scrunched up nose and saw her shrug.


	20. Chapter 20

Walking through the shops with Izo and Zella you chatted about this and that. You had told Izo what your wedding dress looked like when he asked, stating it would help him dress Ed. 

"Would you like him in a suit?" 

"No I think that would be a bit much, I think we both agreed on a simple, laid back wedding." you told him and saw Zella nod. 

"Alright, I think I have an idea. So what about clothes for you now. Pops said I had to make sue you get clothes and shoes and so far all we have gotten is stuff for my nephew." 

"You don't know it's a boy." Zella smiled. 

"I think it's a boy too, sorry Zel." you grinned and heard her chuckle lightly.

"It's okay I think it's a boy as well but Marco says it's a girl." she told you both. 

"What kind of stuff do you like? This island has more to choose from, they will likely have your size." Izo spoke. 

Humming you tilted your head and bit your lip. Glancing down to Izo you grinned. "Make me look attractive for your father." 

"Pops already finds you attractive." Izo grinned. 

"Aright help me tease your father." you said and saw the man smile. 

"That I can do." 

................................

Finishing up everything they needed to do he made sure everything was getting loaded onto the ship before he went in search of his lass. Walking into his cabin he stopped dead in his tracks when his eyes fell onto her. She sat in his desk chair with one leg crossed over the other and a book in her hand. When she took notice of him he saw her lower the book and smile at him before flipping it close and sitting it on the desk. 

"Well hello there sailor." your greeted but he didn't reply. "Did you get your stuff done?" 

Slowly walking closer to her he let his eyes scan up her body, all the way from her new knee high black leather boots, up her stripped purple and black pants that hugged her curves. Stopping only for a moment to admire her hips he lifted his eyes to her torso that was dressed in a simple white off the shoulder tunic, the laces down the front slightly undone enough that he could see a bit of her tattoo and skin. Over that was a black leather belt corset that matched her boots and pulled her waist in some. The necklace he had made her hung around her neck and he noticed she even had a dark red bandana on her head, her long hair flowing freely from under it like his own. Snapping his eyes to hers he saw they had been slightly lined to make them pop. Stumbling on the corner of the desk some he got his footing and grumbled a bit but quickly looked back to her. Swallowing thickly and licking his lips he looked down at her as he got to stand right in front of her. "I have to admit darlin' this was not what I was expecting when I told you to get some new clothes." 

"Izo helped me." you told him with a grin, feeling tiny under his stare.

Kneeling down in front of her he glanced down again to her cleavage and then her hips. "Remind me to send him off shopping with you more often." he said, his voice deep and low. Rubbing his hand up her knee and thigh to grip her hip he felt that heat pool back to his lower abdomen. 

"So you like it then?" you asked, your voice wavering a bit when that tingling started up under his massive hand and moved between your thighs. 

"Aye lass though they may not last long." he told her, his grip on her hip becoming a little harder.

"Why?" you asked, were they badly made or something?

" 'cause if we was married they'd be in shreds on the floor right now." he said and saw her blush. Pushing his hand around her to her lower back he pulled her to the edge of the chair and claimed her lips in a desperate kiss. It took no time at all for him to work his tongue into her mouth and all too soon he felt his cock straining against his pants.... again. Groaning he held her with one hand on her lower back and the other in her hair, cradling the back of her skull. 

Placing one hand on his shoulder and the other on his neck you moved your mouth along with his, trying to breath as his thick tongue filled your mouth. When his mouth moved down your jaw and to your neck you inhaled sharply at the feel of his hot muscles licking your thin skin. Gasping as he bit at you gently you could feel your panties becoming damp. You wondered if he knew how easily he was turning you to putty? 

Licking over the area he just nipped he felt his body tense, what he wouldn't give to drag his tongue over the entirety of her body. Groaning he nipped her earlobe and held her close to his chest as her lifted her up. Taking her over to the bed he laid her down on her back in the middle of it and followed after her. Kissing all of the skin he could he cracked his eyes open to glance towards her cleavage. His mouth again watered at the thought of having one of her pert nipple in his mouth. "Oh lass, the things I want to do to you." 

His voice was so deep it sent shivers down your spine. Blushing you licked your lips, the feel of his hot breath on your chest making your heart hammer. With your bent legs on either side of his hips you could feel the heat radiating off of him and you couldn't help but wonder how it would feel when the both of you finally laid together skin on skin. "W..well just a few more days and then I'm all yours." you said in a small voice and heard him growl deeply. 

Kissing back up her neck he pressed his lips to hers. Keeping his mouth on hers he held himself up with one arm while the other moved to his pocket to fish out the small box there. Opening it and removing the item inside he tossed the box to the bed before pushing his hand up to hers. 

Feeling something get pushed onto your finger you broke from his mouth and knit your brows. Turning your head some and lifting your hand slightly you felt your lips part slightly when you saw the ring now adorning your finger. It was a opal cut into a a oval shape and set in the middle of smaller diamonds. The band it's self was a light gold and very shinny. The whole ring was very beautiful and you blinked for a moment before snapping your eyes to his two warm yellow ones that were staring down at you lovingly. 

Seeing her slight confusion he grinned softly, "I said I'd get you a ring. Do you li..." silenced with a kiss he hummed and then chuckled when her arms wrapped around his neck and pulled him down closer to her if it were possible.

...............................

The day was finally here, your heart hammered against your chest and you couldn't stop moving your hands. What if he changes his mind? What if he regrets it? You blamed half of your nerves on your dress being a bit too loose still and the thought of what would happen later tonight. The other night Ed had finally asked you the question you had been dreading...

_"Darlin' I got something I need to ask ya, something that I need to know before our weddin' night."_

_Looking up to him as he made his way over to the bed you set down the hair brush and felt your stomach twist. "O..okay." you said, attempting to keep your voice even. As he sat on the bed in front of you, you met his yellow eyes._

_"Have ya ever... well what I mean is are you a virgin?"_

_You knew it was coming but that didn't make you any less anxious on the matter. He must have sensed you apprehension because soon he was speaking again._

_"It truly doesn't matter to me lass, I promise it won't change a thing I just need to know before hand so I... So I know how to take things that night."_

_Sighing you looked down to where his hand had moved to hold yours. "Yes." you answered honestly and could practically feel his body stiffen. Looking up to him you glared at him slightly from under your brows, "So much for it not mattering.."_

_"It doesn't sweetheart I just... I don't want to hurt you is all. Truth is I've never actually had sex with a virgin before so I didn't have to worry about that and..."_

_Understanding now what he was so worry about you grinned slightly. You yourself had been worried he wouldn't like you being a virgin because that would mean you wouldn't be good at at. Ed had told you he wasn't a virgin and you could only guess how many women a catch like him had been with so you were nervous about not being enough for him. Not being able to please him. "Ed I've never had sex with a man, I'm a virgin but I don't have a hymen." Seeing his confusion you took a deep breath, "I've already broken it." More confusion. "Oh my god, just because I have never had sex doesn't mean I haven't gotten my rocks off another way." Now it seemed to click and you saw his cheeks turn a light shade of pink before he leaned closer to you._

_"Care to go into detail about that lass?"_

_Rolling your eyes you moved your foot to kick him off the bed, the room shaking with a loud 'thump'._

As it turns out you still were very nervous both for tonight and the wedding. You were never a fan of being the center of attention. Taking a deep breath you let it out slowly through your mouth and looked up at your reflection in the mirror. Zella had helped you with your makeup and hair, leaving everything simple like you wanted. Your dress was simple in that way too, two thin straps held the lightweight lace fabric on your body. It hugged your upper half and hips before turning loose and airy at the bottom. The neckline was a v cut but modest enough not to show everyone your goods. The back had to be your favorite, the deep v cut showing off most of your back. Hearing a small knock you turned to the door and saw Marco there. He was dressed in a pair of tan pants and a white button up shirt with the first one undone. Giving the man a small smile you couldn't help from blushing a bit you saw his brows raise. "I hope you aren't here to tell me your father jumped ship."

Chuckling Marco shook his head. "No. I just figured you might want escort. I'd me honored if you're okay with that."

Feeling your heart warm you smiled and nodded. Seeing him hold his arm out you walked over to him but stopped when he spoke.

"Oh, don't want to forget these." he said with a grin, grabbing his soon to be mother's bouquet of wildflowers and handing them to her.

Blushing you bit your lip and grinned, looking down on them. "Thanks."

"Don't be nervous Y/n. Everything is fine and in just a little while you and pops will be married and then we can all drink."

Laughing you smiled down at the man. "Thank you Marco not just for this but for... for accepting me. You and the rest of your family."

Grinning softly he hummed, "You make my Pops happy y/n, happier than I've seen him in a long time. It should be me thanking you." Seeing the woman smile warmly at him he let out a huff and a nod. "Now lets go before Pops sends someone to get us and Zella eats all the fruit." 

......................................

He stood under the archway that his sons had built and decorated with flowers. Looking to the trees around them on the hill he felt the soft breeze blow his hair and glance up to the sky that was filled with many colors of orange, pink, purples and blues. It had been a beautiful day and was thankfully looking to be a wonderful night as well. He hadn't been able to see his love since yesterday, Zella and Vista demanding they spend the night apart. 'It's traditional.' they had told him as he rolled his eyes, they had been sleeping in the same bed for over a month now so he didn't see why it mattered but he didn't say anything. Now that he stood here waiting he could see why it was pushed, he did feel more excited to be with her. He missed her and was desperate to hold her again. Facing away from where he knew y/n would walk in from he moved to unbutton the damn dress shirt Izo had forced him to wear.

"Pops would you please leave it alone, you can take it off after the ceremony." Izo told him from where he was sitting with the rest of his sons.

Growling he moved to cross his arms over his chest and heard some of them snicker. Scanning his eyes over the crowd he furrowed his brows when he noticed Marco wasn't here, perhaps he was finishing something up. "Where's Marco?" he asked Jozu and saw the man shrug his shoulders. He would hope his son wouldn't miss his wedding. Looking to the side he met Xander's eyes. Xander was one of the few people left that had known him since he was a child himself, the old man helping to take care of him and the other orphans on the island. He was one of the oldest and kindest person here and it was for that reason he had asked him to be the person to wed him and his bride. 

The older man smirked at the look on the notorious pirate's face, a mixture of nervousness and excitement. Seeing Marco and y/n making their way towards them he nodded his head in their direction making his old friend turn to look.

Turning around he ignored the small crowd of people there to witness their union as his eyes locked onto his bride. He felt his breath catch when he took her in. She was so beautiful that for a moment he forgot to breath. He was surprised to see that she wore a lace dress, he knew she was getting her Mrs. Hall to make her a dress but he never imagined it being lace. It was white and fit her body well, flowing around her hips and dragging a little behind her. Her h/c hair flowed down her back with small pins every now and again. Her face held a soft smile that met her eyes. He could tell she was nervous by the slight shaking of her hand holding onto Marco's arm. So that is where his son had went. He felt pride feel his chest at the sight of his first escorting his bride to him. Reaching him Marco gave her a grin and then him a smile before taking her flowers and moving to take his seat beside his wife. Swallowing hard he held his hand out for her to take, stroking his thumb over the back of it once she moved to stand beside him. Smiling he felt his heart beat in his chest and couldn't stop from leaning down to peck her cheek. 

"You aren't supposed to do that yet Edward." Xander scolded smacking the large man's leg with his cane. 

Hearing everyone laugh as Ed took no regard for the rules you smiled and looked into his warm yellow eyes as he pulled back. He looked do handsome, Izo had outdone himself. You certainly didn't regret not making him wear a suit. His simple wedding attire of tan dress pants, a white button up shirt and a light brown vest with a single wildflower pinned to the left side made him look extremely handsome. His son must have also talked him into leaving out the bandana for the special occasion and had instead his long golden locks blew laid down his shoulders, blowing slightly in the breeze. You truly were a lucky woman. 

Holding hands with your Ed as Mr. Xander started the ceremony you saw Ed wink at you and felt your cheeks heat up. He was doing this on purpose. When it came time for your vows your heart beat like a drum in your chest and your stomach doing flips but took a deep breath and looked him in the eyes. "I vow to express my love for you as often as I breathe each breath. I promise that each kiss will be filled with more love than the last and that our days together will grow in love and devotion. I vow to cherish you, devote my life to you and always be true... I also promise to back you up when you say it's a beard when it clearly isn't." you finished and heard everyone start laughing making you giggle lightly as well. 

Chuckling and shaking his head at the end of her vows he licked his lips and nodded, his face split into a large smile. "I should have known." he said and heard everyone laugh lightly. When it was time for his own vows he stood tall and looked down into her shining eyes. Feeling that warmth in his heart he took a deep breath, "As I have spent my whole life looking for my other half, I knew it was you from the moment we met. Although it is until death do us part, I know that we will never truly part because our souls are made for each other. To promise to love you in sickness and in health, in good and in bad is the easiest promise I’ve ever made, because vowing to love you was something I decided when I first met you. Today you will be my wife, but we will be soulmates forever."

Blinking away tears you looked up at him and grinned, "You win." you smiled and saw him chuckle. Drinking from the cups you tried to keep from making a face which only made Ed chuckle. Something was said about Ace and Thatch making Ed have to swallow hard and you squeeze his hand reassuringly. You knew he missed his Sons and wished they would have been here to share this moment with him.

"Now. You may kiss your bride." Xander said with a look to the young man. 

Grinning he bent down and pressed his lips to hers, his wife. He smirked and held in his chuckle when she quickly pulled away from the kiss as everyone watched and cheered. Glancing down at her he saw she was blushing and gave a loud laugh. As they were announced as Mr. and Mrs. Newgate he felt pride fill his chest and stood tall. 

...............................

Sitting on Ed's lap you smiled and laughed as everyone enjoyed themselves. There was tons of food and sake and even cake. Somehow or another Curiel and some of the others had managed to hook your phone up to a speaker to have music playing as well. Everyone had eaten and talked and danced and everything was just so perfect. Never in your life did you ever dream you would be this happy, that you would have all these amazing people in your life. A Family.

Laughing at his sons he turned his head as he went to take another drink from his sake. Letting his eyes fall to that of his wife sitting on his his lap he swallowed the drink in his mouth and grinned. She looked so beautiful. His heart hammered in his chest, she was his wife, he was married to this wonderful woman, his soulmate. She was paying him no mind at the time, busy clapping along and watching his... their family and friends party. A carefree smile was on her face, her eyes shining from the light of the large fire. Her cheeks were a bit red from the sake she had shared with him making him chuckle softly to himself. Dropping his eyes to her back which was facing him he licked his lips at the sight of her bare skin. Rubbing his hand over the soft skin he felt his cock twitch when he thought of what was to come. Tonight was the night, tonight he would finally be able to see, to touch, to experience all of her. 

Turning around to look back at him when you felt him rub your back with his warm, calloused hand you saw him starring at you. The look on his face was one you had seen before, although not often. His chin was raised some, his mouth set in a firm line with the corners slightly turned up. His jaw was hard, along with his brow. Those yellow eyes however were focused, determined and slightly lidded, his pupils dilated to leave them almost black. Just the sight of him alone made a pressure form between your thighs. Watching him take another drink from the bottle of sake you turned in his lap some and leaned into his chest. It had come of no surprise when he had quickly unbuttoned both his shirt and his vest as soon as the reception had started and Zella had gotten one good photo of the both of you. Rubbing your hand up his hard abs and barrel chest you laid your ear over his heart and heard it thumping as you peered up at him. "And what are you thinkin' about?" 

Swallowing his sake he let out an 'ahhh' as he set it down on the arm of the chair and looked down to her with a small grin. Feeling her small hand rubbing his chest he felt something along the lines of a low growl rumble in his chest. "My beautiful wife." Seeing her blush he chuckled. When her fingers tugged on his hair he dipped his head to kiss her, holding her with his left arm and rubbing his right hand up her thigh. Humming at the taste of her lips and the feel of her hand on his neck he cracked his eyes open when the noise got a little louder. Looking out he saw his sons had started up their drinking games, everyone focused on that for the time being. Perfect timing. Moving his right arm under her knees he held her tightly as he stood from his chair. Leaving the party without anyone noticing he carried his wife up the dark hillside towards their home while continuing to kiss her. 

Moving his lips against her soft ones he lightly licked at her bottom lip and then rolled his tongue into her mouth when she parted her lips. Getting to the front door he opened it, carrying her inside and shutting it behind them before locking it. So help anyone who dared disturb him tonight... or the next few days for that matter. Tasting the wine she had drank earlier mixed with that of her own taste he felt desire fill him and pulled her body tighter to his chest. Kicking off his boots he made his way towards the bedroom, shutting and locking that door just incase. Moving to hold her with one arm under her ass he rolled his tongue about her mouth as he shook the shirt and vest from one shoulder then the other. Standing her on her feet in front of the bed he bent over to continue kissing her for a time until he pulled away. Looking into her lidded eyes he could see lust there but also nervousness. Gripping her hips he rubbed circles over her pelvis bone with his thumbs while pecking her lips and then chin and jaw until he got to her neck.

Closing your eyes when he started messaging your hips you felt his hot mouth move down to your throat. There was no doubt in your mind he knew about that secret spot on your neck because that is exactly where his mouth went. Sucking in a quick breath through your nose you felt his hands rub up your sides to the straps of your dress and slowly but surly the lightweight material fell to your feet. After that his warm hands moved back to your sides, rubbing down over your waist and down to your hips, holding you firmly as he leaned back enough to look at you. 

Slowly pulling away enough to look over his wife his breath caught in his throat. She wasn't wearing a bra which he figured she wasn't with the cut of the dress but she was wearing a white pair of lace panties that matched her dress. He didn't know where to look first. Her breasts, her perfect breasts that made his mouth water or her hips that he wanted to rub. What about her collarbone and shoulders that he wished to mark with his mouth. All of her was just about too much for him to handle. Licking his lips he forced his eyes up to her face and saw her standing there with her lip bitten between her teeth some. Nervous. Anxious. "You gonna let me touch ya now darlin'?" he asked in a low voice.

You had been standing there as he looked over your body and you could feel your nerves picking up more and more as the seconds went by. When he spoke and you felt his knuckles brushing up your sides but not yet moving to touch your breasts you swallowed hard. There was a hint of playfulness to his voice and you grinned slightly as you hummed, pretending to think about it. He quickly caught on however and gave a growl before wrapping his arm around you, supporting you with his large hand on your back. Kissing his lips and wrapping your own arms around his neck while he moved you both onto the bed.

Laying her on her back in the middle of the large bed he held himself above her with his one forearm and his knees. Kissing her neck and throat he moved his free hand to rub down her side and grip her hip. He massaged her hipbone for a time as he went about sucking and nipping her neck. Even moving over to give her shoulder attention. He was in no rush and planned on getting to know the entirety of his wife's body. Looking at her breasts again he growled lowly, rubbing his hand up her side he cupped the soft mound of flesh in his hand. His cock throbbed in his pants and he felt her small body give a flinch under him when he pinched her pert nipple between his knuckles. Smirking into her neck he slowly kissed his way down her chest and over her tit. Flicking his tongue over the neglected nipple her heard her gasp and felt her body flinch a bit more this time. Smirking he wrapped his lips around it and sucked the tender nub into his mouth. Glancing up at her from under his brow he saw her eyes looking at him in both shock and desire. Smiling he held the nub between his teeth and bit down, not enough to hurt her but enough to tell her that he was only getting started. When her head fell back to the bed he sucked more at her breast until her nipple was left tender.

Your back arched off the bed when he sucked and bit at the skin of your chest. You couldn't do much but caress his warm skin, feeling the hard muscles underneath. Both of your nipples took a turn with his mouth until he was kissing down your ribs and side. Feeling his hand move down your hip to the lace panties you felt his breath just over your naval before a ripping sound was heard and you gasped. "Ed I just got those." you scolded, feeling him rip the other side as well until they hung loosely on you. 

Chuckling he kissed her stomach. "I'll get ya some more." he told her as he tossed the panties behind him somewhere in the room. Leaning up on his forearm more he looked down at the treasure and growled deeply. Staring down her naked body he licked his lips and grinned. To think this was now all his. He could smell her arousal and it only fueled his raging lust. Growling low in his throat he moved his hands behind him to her ankles, stroking up the entirety of her leg before he swirled them around on the inside of her thighs. Kissing her pubic bone he went to settle himself between her legs but felt her tense up. Looking up he saw her avoiding his eyes but he could see the deep red on her cheeks and smiled softly, oh yes she was definitely a virgin. He watched her closely as he peppered the lips of her sex with soft kisses, licking over her slit with the flat of his tongue she gasped and tried to close her legs. "Oh no you don't. You had your dessert earlier, now it's time I had mine." he told her with a smile as he spread her legs again, lifting one of her legs to lay over his shoulder and the holding the other thigh in his hand. Watching her he slowly licked again at her, this time slipping the tip of his tongue past her lips and flicking it against the sensitive bundle of nerves.

If it wasn't for his large hand holding your leg you would have shut them on reflex again. Closing your eyes tight you felt him lick slowly up your sex, each time coming closer and closer to your entrance until soon he pushed the large, hot muscle inside and you had to bite down on the back of your hand to keep from screaming out. 

Hearing her muffled moan he looked up and saw her biting down on her hand and quickly grabbed hold of her arm to pull it away from her mouth. "I do believe we've already addressed this lass." he said before lapping at her sex. She still tried to keep from making a sound so he lowered his hand from her arm to press a finger to her tight sex. Pride filled his chest when he noticed how wet she was. Slowly pushing his finger inside of her and this time earning a moan from his female he grinned. Groaning when he realized how tight she was around his finger he felt his cock ache in need, he was definitely going to have to ready her more before she could take him. 

You whimpered as he fucked you with his fingers. Gasping when he added another. His fingers were large, two alone felt like the same size as your toy you had back at the cabin. Made you wonder how much larger was his cock, was the thing even going to fit inside of you? With his mouth and hand both playing your body like a violin you soon started to feel that cord in your lower pelvis becoming tight. Withering under his ministrations you felt him tighten his hold on your leg and suck hard at the apex of your thighs, no doubt leaving marks. 

He could feel her close to her climax and smirked, "Let go darlin'. Sing fer me." Pumping two of his fingers into her he latched back onto her clit and sucked hard until he felt her walls tighten around his fingers and her back arch off the bed. She cried out until her high slowly started to fade. Her body trembling slightly and flinching when he gave one last long lap up her slit, swallowing down what was now his favorite thing. Chuckling when her breasts gave a jiggle he pulled his fingers from her, licking them clean before moving his hand down to undo his own pants. Kicking them down his legs and off the bed he heard the thump as his belt hit the floor. Crawling up her body he nipped her tit, flicking his tongue over the tattoo on her sternum. Settling between her legs he looked down to his soulmate, his wife and felt that warming in his heart, that pull. 

Going to peak down at your husband you were stopped when he moved his finger to your chin and lifted your eyes back to his. He was just looking at you, those yellow eyes filled with lust but no less warm. Just looking into them helped ease your nervousness a little. His body was putting off so much warmth. Being under him like this made it all the more obvious how much bigger he was than you. While in any other situation it would probably be frightening you felt nothing but safe and secure. The feel of his skin on yours indescribable. 

Catching her before she could see him he looked into her eyes for a moment. He didn't want her to see him naked yet. He was well aware that he was a well endowed man and didn't want to make her even more nervous than she already was. Feeling her hands on his back and shoulder he sighed. Lowering his body to hers he stroked her jaw with his fingertip, "I love you y/n." 

With a warming in your heart you smiled softly at him, "I love you more." 

"Now those are fightin' words lass." he told her with a grin that she returned. Dipping his head to kiss her lips he rolled his tongue into her mouth to distract her. Grabbing his cock he ran it up her slit to coat the head in her slick before lining up with her opening. Easing into her he gripped the bedsheet beside her head hard enough to turn his knuckles white and broke from her mouth to groan into her neck. "Oh fuck." he growled. It had been so long. Gritting his teeth at how tight she was he almost had the first few inches of his cock inside of her when she gasped, gripping his back hard enough that he could feel her nails threatening to break his skin. Pulling back and then rolling his hips slowly he heard her give a small whimper and moved his hand to message her hip in an attempt to sooth her. Peppering her neck with sloppy kisses he kept his pace slow, refusing to hurt her in his need for more. 

Biting your lip at the uncomfortable stretch you felt his body tense, heard his breathing turn to pants as he tried to keep a slow pace for you. Holding onto his back like it was your life line you felt your mouth fall open when he thrusted in a little deeper this time. Each time he pulled out and rolled his hips back into yours he let his cock go deeper inside of you. Already you felt incredibly full and wondered how much more there was of him until soon you felt his lower half meet yours. You didn't have to see his cock to know that it was massive, in fact you fairly certain the thing was going to split you into. Moaning when it rubbed against a sensitive area inside of you you let your eyes flutter close. 

He groaned and grunted with every thrust of his hips. She was so perfect, she was so tight, at first painfully tight but now that she was adjusting it just felt great. He was certain he had never felt anything more amazing in his life. That pulling in his chest had turned into a comfortable warmth, like some warm blanket that had wrapped around the both of them. Kissing at her neck he caged her in with his body, feeling her legs tighten on either side of his hips. Sucking marks into her neck and collarbone he growled when her pussy tightened around his cock, his eyes rolling back some. Moving his hand from her hip under her to hold her ass he picked up speed.

His mouth was all over the place, sucking and biting at your neck, swirling his lounge around your mouth. Whimpering you felt a intense pressure in your lower pelvis and curled your toes. He was growling and grunting deeply now, sounding so primal and it was quickly sending you to your second climax. As his large hand moved up your hip to your breast and palmed it, pinching your nipple between his rough knuckles you cried out. White light flooded your vision and your back arched to push your chest up into his hand. Squeezing his large bicep and shoulder blade as every muscle in your body tightened you cried out.

She was crying out his name now and he couldn't hold back any longer. A loud, deep grunt left his throat and he pushed in as deep as he could to fill her with his seed. Biting down on her neck he heard her cry out but he didn't stop. That pressure in his chest had turned into a pull so strong it was like a magnet keeping them together. Holding her tightly he growled around her skin in his mouth and lazily rolled his hips, riding out the last of his high. Soon she went limp under him and he released her flesh to lick over the deep bruise he knew was there. Staying inside of her for a few moments he peppered any skin he could reach in tender kisses. His whole body felt warm and relaxed, sated. It was funny he had never felt the after sex high this intense before. Glancing up to her face he noticed she looked to be sleeping and smirked.

Deciding it was time to separate he let out a deep hiss when he pulled his sensitive cock from her tight heat. This movement seemed to rouse her somewhat, her clumsy hands trying to cling to him. Chuckling lightly he moved to lay beside her on the bed, tugging the covers up over them. Settling down he helped her cuddle up in his side when she seemed to be having trouble. Wrapping his arm around her he stroked her wild hair out of her face and kissed her forehead when she nuzzled his chest. Letting out a deep sigh he rubbed her back. "Goodnight my wife."


End file.
